Perfect Imbalance
by Ocelot's disciple
Summary: (COMPLETE!) Angel and the gang (including Spike) take a request from a mysterious man named Dorian Gray
1. It Begins

Angel walked into his firm. It was already nine in the morning and already the firm was booming. He paid no attention to the hustle and bustle and headed straight for his office. He opened the door and threw his papers in hand on his desk. He removed his jacket, hung it on the rack, and sat in his chair to assess the new papers on his desk that had been dropped off by the secretary. He leafed through them: new cult, new vampire on the rampage, endorsement deal? Etc, etc….

Angel looked at the papers but vaguely felt that he was being watched. Dismissing it as nothing more than paranoia and knowing that his senses would've surely picked up on it if it really were something, he kept reading his papers. After at least ten minutes of silence, he heard:

"Well I've heard of customer service being a little lousy nowadays but this is just ridiculous."

Angel started and fell back in his chair as he saw a man sitting in the chair in front of his desk.

"God!"

The man smiled, "Well I don't think we should bring him into this."

"How did you get in here?" Angel asked, thoroughly frightened that his senses had not told him of the man's appearance in his office.

"Through the door."

"Yes that was kind of obvious," Angel replied, "But…."

He thought of asking how the man had not triggered his vampire senses but deciding that he did not know if this man was an enemy or friend, he did not reveal his rather current weakness.

"What is it that you want?" he asked instead.

"Well," the man said as he reclined in his seat, "I wish for you and your team to find someone for me, a certain vampire named Mina Harker."

Angel studied the man. He looked no older than his early twenties and his face was flawless. Really, flawless. It seemed that no marks of age affected his face, no scars, no wrinkles, nothing. His black hair was as dark as pitch night, fell in long bangs on his forehead, covering his eyes enough to give him a mischievous and dangerous look. The rest of his hair was thick and slicked back to the back of his head as if smoothed back dozens of times over by his hands. A perfectly well-groomed goatee accompanied perfectly well-groomed eyebrows on his face. His eyes were as if entrances to the unknown world and could enveloped anyone who looked into them. His skin was the perfect shade that resembled that of a porcelain doll and was just as perfect as one. 

His attire matched his face with just the perfect amount of style that complimented his face even more so. His gray tank-top revealed his skin quite nicely and accented his washed out black pants that gave a marvelous shade of gray to the rest of his outfit. His shoes, which looked like Dr. Martins, somehow matched the color of his pants and quite simply, perfect the outfit. 

He looked just like a cool new action movie star, or that of a hero from an adventure book. To Angel, this man's appearance looked almost impossible.

"Can you do that for me?" he said, snapping Angel out of his trance.

"Um…it depends upon your circumstances," he answered.

"They are not all that demanding I should think," the man answered with a smart look in his eyes, "All I really want is to know where she is."

"And why is that?"

"She has eluded me for some time. I figured that it is better to have more than one searching for her, that way, she'll have a tougher time of trying to get away."

Angel looked up in thought, what should he do?

"Well?" the man asked.

Angel remained silent, such a sudden request was a bit different to him. He needed time to think on it.

As if reading his mind, the man spoke.

"Well, it seems you need some time to consider my request," he said as he got up from his seat and fished out a card and pen from his pocket.

"This is what I could be paying you," he told Angel as he wrote down a figure on the card and laid it on Angel's desk, "If you choose to accept it, you can contact me at that number. Goodbye."

Without a further moment spent, the man went to the rack where Angel had hung his coat and retrieved his own that Angel did not notice was there. He put it on in one swift motion and exited out the door.

Angel sat at his desk, dumbfounded. This man had suddenly turned him from being the usual calm and cool one, to the recessive person of the conversation. How had that man affected him so?

He looked down at the card that the man left him and picked it up. It read:

$1 million

846-2987

Angel's mouth dropped open and all he could think of was…..who was this guy?

Ch.2

The next day, he decided to tell his crew the news.

He had summoned them to a private meeting in the board room and told them the news. Frankly, they were astonished.

"I say we do it," Gunn said, "It's not everyday that we'd get a nice haul like that.

"For once I'm in agreement with him," Wesley said as he looked to Angel, "We're not going to get that much money ever and it doesn't seem like it's a dangerous job. It's only reconnaissance work."

"Yeah, but there could be more to it than this guy's revealing." Amy said as she looked to Wesley from across the table, "I mean, he was pretty vague about why he wanted to find this miss…..um….who was it Angel?"

"Harker, Mina Harker," Angel answered from his seat at the head of the table.

"Yes, something about that bothers me," Spike said from his seat next to Amy, "That name, rings a bell, though I can't quite place it."

"Oh and now you're speaking up?" Wesley asked him from across the table, "Out of all the dangerous jobs we've taken thus far, you've always been gung-ho, but now, when we have a job that possibly won't take a person's life, you think otherwise?"

Spike leaned out of his chair a bit and held out his thumb and forefinger an inch away from each other, "I'm about this close to burying my fangs in your neck!"

"Then what's stopping you?" Wesley retorted.

"Both of you! Stop it!" Angel ordered.

They both did so. 

"The point of this meeting is to not argue about this," he said, "It is figure out if we take this job or not."

"I say we do," Gunn repeated, "We can take the job but if it gets too dangerous, we can reconsider."

"He's right," Amy agreed, "If it does get more dangerous than just observation work, we can tell this guy that it exceeded what he told us and we can't do anymore than that."

Wesley nodded, "I can do some research on this guy, when you get his name that is. I can see if he is a threat to us or not."

Angel looked to Spike, who said nothing, but just leaned back in his chair in thought.

"Alright then, it's decided," Angel said, "I'll call this guy, confirm the details, and then we'll start up on a plan of action tonight. Till then, I'll see you all later."

And with that, everyone left, save Spike.

"I don't like this," he said from his seat.

Angel gathered up his papers form the table, "Well, now you know what I feel when certain things come up."

"Yeah, but something about this isn't right," Spike said as he got up from his seat and looked to Angel, "Mina Harker….it still gets to me somehow…"

"Maybe an old acquaintance?"

"I don't know," Spike said as he shook his head, "Maybe it's nothing. So, we have a new job now?"

"Yeah."

"Well, best be getting along now. If I sit with you too long, I'll die of boredom."

Spike grinned and left with one silent turn.

Angel sighed, now to contact this guy, and learn his name for one, figure out the exact details for another.

The phone rang…once…twice…he picked up.

"Hello?" 

"Uh hi sir, this is Angel, you spoke with me yesterday," Angel spoke into the phone.

"Ah yes," the guy said on the other line, "I remember you , have you considered my offer?"

"Um, yes but I have a few questions," Angel replied.

"And they are?"

"Well, I wanted to know, who exactly are you?"

"And that is relevant how?"

"Well me and my team request that we know who we're working for."

There was a silence on the phone and Angel wondered if the man had hung up on him.

"Dorian."

"Perfect, and a last name?"

"Gray."

"Well, Mr. Dorian Gray. We've decided to accept the job. Now you want nothing more than to find this person out right? No action needed?"

"That's right."

"And when can you make your payment?"

"Today if you need."

"Well, that's fine. I'll send you our company account number and you can send it there."

"And you'll inform me immediately when you find Mina?"

"Yes absolutely."

"Good. Well, goodbye Angel."

He hung up. Angel hung up the phone in its' cradle and leaned back in his chair. Well that was a quick and to-the-point conversation.

"What'd he say?" Spike asked from his spot near the window of Angel's office.

"His name's Dorian Gray," Angel told him, "He's gonna make the payment today and seems for the most part, thoroughly bored with me."

"Well," Spike said as he turned to him, "No one can resist doing that when they talk to you."

"Very funny."

"Well, where do we start?"

"Tell Wesley and Amy to start up some research on both Dorian Gray and Mina Harker."

"What am I now, a messenger?"

"Just do it."

"Fine touchy, I'll do it," Spike said as he left the room.

He walked downstairs to Wesley's office. 

"Knock, knock," he said as he leaned in at the doorway.

Not looking up from his papers, Wesley said, "It's not much of a choice for me to let you in or not when you've already done so by yourself."

"I just do it to annoy you," Spike retorted with a grin, "Anyways, Angel's got the guy's name. Says he's Dorian Gray."

"Alright, I'll get right on it," Wesley said as he shifted to his computer and typed in a search for the name, "Tell Angel I'll call him as soon as I get any information."

"Right, right," Spike said getting angry at yet another message for him to run and give, "And by the by, Amy will be working with you, bye."

"Right," Wesley called after him.

Spike walked across the whole firm and walked downstairs further to Amy's lab. He sauntered down the steps and stopped to see Amy hunched over her lab table, mixing chemicals of the sort. He sniffed the air and picked up on an unmistakable scent, blood.

"Yes, that is blood that your smelling," Amy said, not turning around, "And no, it's not mine."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Spike said, "So what is it?"

"A new blood serum for Angel," she explained, "He's says he's getting tired of pig's blood."

Spike sighed, "I don't see why he can't just feed like normal vampires."

"Because he's not as heartless as normal vampires," Amy said as she turned towards him, "Now what is it that you want?"

"I would say a kiss, but you'd only slap me in the face, so I'm here to deliver a message. Angel wants you and Weasel-"

"It's Wesley."

"Whatever, he wants you and him to start up some research on Dorian Gray and Mina Harker, get it?"

"Fine," she said with a sigh, "I'll get to it as soon as I'm done."

"On the double," Spike said with a grin and left. 

Amy shook her head and turned back to her chemicals.

Ch.3

Wesley sat at his computer, rubbing at his temples from overstraining his eyes, watching the computer closely. Different articles, pieces, and pictures were searched as they flashed by on the monitor. After five minutes of searching, the computer stopped. It had come up with 400 matches for pieces with the name 'Dorian Gray' in it.

'Here we go,' he thought as he started to search through them, page by page.

The first piece was nothing, just a piece about an executive producer on a film named 'A New Shade Of Gray' nothing he needed, the second was an article about a dog named Dorian that saved a small boy from a fire, nope. The third followed in this suit, as did the fourth, fifth, sixth, and so on until he hit the 258th article he had. This one, was an article about a murderer escaped from jail.

'Berlin-July 28,1826. Murderer Dorian Gray Escapes From Jail

Authorities say they have no idea how he did it, but Dorian Gray, who was charged for murder and to be put on trail, has escaped from jail. It seems that he killed one of his guards, stole the key to the cell, and ran off, killing three more guards and injuring two in the process. When asked how he got through all of the security, the guards said that he was unstoppable. That when they shot their pistols at him, he didn't stop or bleed, and just continued to kill the other guards. Authorities are now searching for Mr. Gray, but no result has come of it yet.'

'Well, there's one in the bank,' Wesley thought as he saved it, 'Maybe he's a vampire?'

He continued to find more and more articles dated in the 1800s until he came to a rather interesting document. Not an article or written piece, but a record, dated back to 1899, the turn of the century. 

'1899-The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Recruits-Ability-

Rodney SkinnerInvisibility

Alan QuartermainAdventurer

Captain NemoAdvanced Technology

Mina HarkerVampire

Dr. Jekyll Transformation Formula

Dorian GrayImmortality

Importance-To stop the terrorist known as "The Phantom" from starting a world war. Use each person to the best of their ability, with Mr. Quartermain as the leader. All are to go to Venice to find the Phantom and stop him from attacking the major countries' leaders.'

Wesley leaned back in his chair. Now what exactly was this? He had just acquired some information about Dorian Gray, but he was more curious in finding out what this document was for. It was obviously a list of sorts, but to whom? 

After thinking this, he decided he would work backwards. He searched the year 1899 for articles about war. He found thousands of articles about potential war and different attacks on certain countries made by an anonymous terrorist. So this was the reason this "league" was made. Apparently, they did there job, because war did not break out at that time. 

He kept these pieces and searched the rest of the "League of Extraordinary Gentleman" document for a picture of Dorian. He finally found one, an old black and white photograph, of him. He routed the description onto another search to find characteristics like that and the results came pouring in. More and more articles of murder, robberies, and even a kidnapping charge. All of these he was accused, but never found to be put to trial, he always escaped the authorities somehow. 

After six hours of straight searching, Wesley picked up his phone, and called Angel. 


	2. The Encounter

Author's note: Sorry to the readers, I accidentally said that Amy Acker's character Fred was Amy. Sorry, it's fixed and I have untreated dyslexia so I'll try to be careful in my editing. Thanks!

Ch.4

Angel was sitting at his desk studying the latest pieces of info he had found on Dorain, but found that none of them were helpful. Just banking accounts, property license, deeds, drivers license, etc. 

Suddenly, his phone rang. He picked it up from its' cradle, which sat in its' respective place in the corner of his desk. 

"Hello?"

"Angel yes, it's Wesley," spoke the voice on the other end.

"Oh yeah, did you get my message?"

"Yes, Spike was nice enough to deliver it."

"Well, did you get anything?"

"Ah yes, I've gotten some pretty interesting facts about Dorian Gray and a little about Mina Harker," Angel heard him say as there was a shuffle of papers on the other line, "Here we are. Now did you think that Dorian was a vampire, mage or anything like that before?"

"Yeah, I thought he was a vampire."

"Well, it's something different, he's an immortal."

"An immortal?"

"Yes, seems that he's been alive since the 1800s."

"How do you know he's an immortal? If he was a vampire, he could've lived that long."

"Well see that's the thing. I looked up other articles containing stories about him and found that in numerous situations, he was shot at, stabbed, and even run over by a police carriage. Though it doesn't specify where the wounds were. You know, near the heart?"

"Yeah, but how do you know for sure that Dorian's an immortal?"

"Well, I found this record dated back to 1899. It specifies something called the "League of Extraordinary Gentleman," and Mr. Gray was apart of it. In the record, it tells of everyone that was in it, what their abilities or skills were. They listed him as an immortal and I'm pretty sure that they were very precise in their documentation."

"Oh….." Angel said with a sigh, this was a new twist.

"Oh, and there's something else," Wesley said.

"What?"

"I found some info on Mina Harker."

"Oh, is she a vampire?"

"Yeah, she was in the League too, but I haven't gotten anything more."

"That's fine, it's more than enough."

"Alright, well, should I still research more?"

"Yeah, we need more info on Mina."

"Okay, I'll call if I get any information."

"Alright," Angel said as he hung up the phone, "Now where do I start?"

Ch.5

Spike went out. It was dusk and to him, the dawn of the night. He put on his trench coat and walked down the sidewalk to the city streets. The firm wasn't far from downtown so it was an easy trip to the clubs and night shops. 

He turned down an alley and stopped at the cement wall back of a building. He stayed there for what seemed like ages until a staggering form stumbled into the alley. He looked and saw it was a girl, no older than thirteen. He wondered just why she was there in the first place, but his hunger was near the breaking point. It was tearing at him, threatening to drive him mad with itself. Although, it was partly his fault, he hadn't fed in days. 

The girl yelled out in pain and clutched at her head, like she was in pain from her own mind. Spike shuddered, the girls' yells reminded him of his own screams when the chip misfired in his head, or when he went insane. The girl fell back against a dumpster and she slinked down to the ground. She groveled and clutched at her skull as if trying to squeeze out the pain. 

In spite of Angel instilling all of the ideals of protecting the innocent, Spike considered putting the girl out of her misery. He stepped forward a bit and the girl did not move or seem to notice him. Deciding to act upon his prior consideration, Spike quickly and silently walked over to the girl, but was met with a sword to throat. It just barely sliced the skin, letting some blood dribble down his neck.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he heard the sword-bearer say to him. 

Spike stood up all the way and turned slowly towards the speaker. He furrowed his brow, how did he not know that the guy was there? The man that was threatening him with the sharp object had black hair with long bangs and the rest slicked back behind his ears and to the back of his neck; accompanied with black eyebrows and goatee. He was clothed in black and gray attire, and had a thin, fencing-like sword to Spike's neck. 

"Who are you?" Spike asked.

"I believe I should be asking that question," said the man as he increased the grip on his sword to coax more blood out of Spike's neck.

"Well I'm not going to tell you," Spike answered.

"Well, all I really want is you to stay away from the girl, so if you mind," the guy said as he rounded Spike, getting over to the girl. 

Spike decided to take action, his face morphed as he summoned his vampiric powers. He blocked away the sword with his forearm, protected by his jacket material, and charged forward. The guy jumped to the side and Spike rolled to his feet from the momentum of his charge being thrown off. He turned and was rewarded with two slashes to the face from the guys' sword. He landed a clean punch on the guys' face and kicked his stomach. The guy recoiled slashed at Spike a couple more times successfully. Spike took the advantage and got behind the man. He wrapped his right arm around the guys' throat and went in to bite his neck. 

"Agh….!" was all that Spike could say as his voice caught the back of his mouth. 

He felt white hot pain shoot through his stomach as the guys' sword buried itself in his abdomen. He coughed out, but his grip did not fail. He was used to pain, but he just wasn't prepared for it tonight. Spike grabbed the guys' wrist that was holding the sword, and pulled the blade out of his stomach. Then he directed the mans' wrist to point the sword to the guys' own chest. 

"Now, be nice and let me get a bite in," he told the guy.

"You think I'm going to let you bloody bite me?" the guy said with a laugh.

"And what, pray tell, do you think you can do to stop me?" 

"This."

Spike's eyes lit up in surprise as the man thrust the blade through his own chest and through Spike's. He was heaving his chest, the sword sticking out his back, each breath hurting him more. His grip failed him and he let go of the guy. The man pulled the sword out of his chest and kicked Spike back. He fell backwards onto the opposing wall, his face stricken with unimaginable pain. He looked up at the guy and saw his own chest wound healing as quickly as the sword was pulled from him. 

"Yes, fascinating isn't it?" the guy asked, seeing Spike's surprise.

"What are you?" Spike choked out.

"That's for you to wonder."

And with that, the guy put his sword in its' sheath, which was a cane (Or turned into one when the swords' handle snapped into place). He turned and lifted the girl into his arms. The girls, seemingly unconscious, did not stir as he lifted her. 

"So long, Spike," he said with a smile and left, leaving Spike on the ground.

__

'Who the hell was that guy?' he thought, _'And how the hell does he know my name?'_

He struggled to his feet, using the wall for support, and started in the direction of the firm. 

He had to tell Angel.

Comments? Requests? Potential insults? Please R&R! (Read and review) 


	3. Realization

Ch.6

Angel walked down the stairs towards the elevators. He was getting ready to go buy some pig's blood, he was really hungry and although he usually did get it delivered to him, he wanted to get out of the firm. He barely reached the elevators when the door opened with the automatic 'ding' announcing its' arrival. He was shocked at what he saw.

It was Spike, he was leaning against the left side of the elevator, holding his chest with one hand, and using the other to support himself. His face had four slashes that looked like they had been given by a sword and were bleeding freely. 

"Angel…" he choked out through heaving breaths as he tried to walk forward, but stumbled.

Luckily enough, Angel caught him before he fell all the way. He hoisted Spike's left arm around his shoulders and aided Spike in walking to Fred's lab. She usually stayed their late and he was sure she'd be able to do something.

"Angel…" Spike tried to speak again, but the pain was too great and made his voice catch in his throat. His legs failed him and he stumbled. Angel supported him

"It's alright, we're gonna get you fixed up," Angel told him.

Spike just nodded as he limped down the stairs to Fred's lab. Meanwhile, Fred was busy mixing chemicals and running statistics as well as searches in her computer. She was about to mix more chemicals before she heard a groan behind her. She turned and faced Angel holding Spike up to his feet, who looked like he had seen better days.

"Oh my God, what happened?"

"I don't know, but he needs help," Angel answered.

"Uh sure, lie him on the cot over there, I'm gonna go get something to heal him up," Fred told him as she left to a cabinet.

Angel took Spike to the cot and laid him down. Spike was near passing out, but somehow stayed conscious. Fred came back with her healing things and set down on the side of the cot next to Spike. She saw the gaping hole in his shirt and saw the wound.

"He's been stabbed," she assessed as she looked to his face, "That seems to be the worst of his injuries."

She pushed his coat further off his shoulders and raised his shirt up.

"Jesus!" she heard Spike cough out. 

She looked up, he was awake more so now.

"Your hands are bloody cold love," he said as he pushed away her hands.

"Sorry," Fred apologized as she removed her hands from his stomach.

"All I'll need is a band-aid and I'll be fine," Spike told her as he tried to get up.

"No can do," she told him as Angel pushed him gently back down on the cot.

"You've been hurt badly, let her fix you up a bit first, alright?" Angel asked.

Spike sighed and lied back, "Fine."

Fred took out a large white bandage, put it carefully on his chest wound, and then pulled back down his shirt. She then focused on nursing the cuts on his face. She began to dab at them with gauze.

"So," Angel began as he walked over and leaned against Fred' lab table, "What happened?"

"Well," Spike began as he winced from the sting of the gauze against his open wounds.

"Sorry," Fred repeated.

"Well," Spike started again, "I was going downtown to get kill-"

"A kill?" Angel asked.

"Spike looked to him, "Well what do you want me to do? Eat bloody pig's blood like you? Bugger that!"

Angel sighed and nodded to Spike to continue his story.

"Well," Spike started but winced again from the liquid bandages that Fred was applying to his face, "Will you sod off?!" 

He angrily got up to a sitting position and fixed his coat to where it usually settled on his shoulders. 

Fred picked up her things, "I was finished anyway."

Spike glared at her for moment and then went back to finishing his story.

"Well, you see I was in a back alley waitin' for some idiot to come and that'd be my meal. Just when I was thinking of leaving, this girl walks into the alley, well, stumbled actually."

"What happened after that?" Angel asked.

"Well I was in the shadows, she didn't see me. But she was actin' all weird, she was holdin' her head and yellin' like she was going insane. So I figured that I would just put the girl out of her misery. I went up to grab her from behind but then was met in the throat with a sword."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Spike said as he felt his neck, "But it's healed up now, it was just a scratch anyways. But then I looked to my left, and this guy's there. I asked him who he was, he asked me who I was, we didn't tell each other, got into a tussle, he wounded me, and then he took the girl and left."

"What'd this guy look like?"

"He had black hair, and clothes. But he wore some gray too."

"Anything else?"

"Angel, what the hell do you want from me?" Spike yelled a bit, "I just received a beating from some supernatural, immortal guy and now you want to know every exact detail about what he looked like?"

"Immortal?" Angel asked.

Spike scoffed, "Yeah, when I got the advantage, I threatened him with his own sword. He stabbed it through his own chest and through mine. It healed up within, like, ten seconds." 

"Too fast for a normal vampire or any other kind of supernatural creature."

"Yeah," Spike agreed.

"Spike, you said the guy had black hair," Angel said, "Could you define that a little better?"

Spike glared at him, "Well seeing that you're onto something Peaches, I guess I could. He had long bangs and his hair was thick. It was smoothed to the back of his head."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, he had a mustache and a goatee that didn't meet each other. Like a fingers' width apart. I think."

Angel thought for a moment and then said, "I know who attacked you Spike."

"Oh really? Who?"

"Dorian Gray."

"What?" both Spike and Fred asked.

"I saw him before and your description fits. Dorian attacked you, and now, when you saw this girl that he took, it makes me think there's a lot more than what he's telling us."

Spike sighed and Fred was still in shock.

"I guess that's what we get for taking such a vague job," Spike said. 

Angel and Fred nodded.

Ch.7

Dorian sat upon his couch languidly in his hotel room. He sighed and put a hand over his eyes. The nights' events were quite tiring upon him. Not physically, but rather mentally. He knew who the guy was that he met in the alley. He was one of Angel's lackeys, or his rival. He'd seen and heard that they both fought against each other, as well as worked together. What was his name? Ah, Spike, that was it.

He had once met him a long time ago, when he used to know Druscilla, before she had gone more insane than she already was. She had often discussed Spike to him, or back then, William and how she was going to turn him. That was how he had come to know Mina again. 

Mina……

He heard the window latch click and the pane slide away. The familiar thumps of feet on the floor hit his ears with precision and he heard the window being slid back to it's original place.

"How many did you take?" he asked the person that had just come in.

"Not many Mr. Dorian," came the timid reply.

"How many?" he asked again.

"….three, Mr. Dorian."

Dorian removed his hand from his eyes and sat up.

"Three is not many to you?" he said as he looked at his pupil.

She wrung her hands nervously and kept her eyes downcast. She nearly broke down into tears, and looked as if she would melt from Dorian's piercing gaze.

"I-I'm sorry. B-but I was just so hungry…"

"I've told you time and again, to sustain yourself, eat only what you need to survive."

"But I haven't fed in eight months!" the girl protested, but was soon silenced when she met Dorian's gaze.

"It doesn't matter," he told her, "You're lucky I even allow you to eat one a year. Now, since you are ungrateful for my generosity, you will pay the consequences."

Her head shot up, "No! Mr. Dorian, please! Don't, I can't take it again!"

"Well you didn't learn the first time, so hopefully you'll learn this time," Dorian said as he pulled a knife out of his pocket and flipped it open.

Fresh tears dripped down the young girl's face as he came towards her. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the small kitchen area, holding her hand over the sink.

"Please don't…." she pleaded.

Dorian just shook his head at her as he drew the knife across her palm and wrist vein. Fresh blood poured from the cuts, dribbling into the sink, draining the very life out of the girl.

"Please…" she pleaded.

"No," he said as he shook his head, "You cannot do this any longer…Sair."

The girl cried and collapsed onto the ground, her wounds healing slowly, but surely. Dorian smiled, this was what was destined for Mina, when he found her.

He picked Sair up and lied her on the bed in the adjacent room, she'd be alright the next night. He went to the couch again, deep in thought. When he found Mina, he would have her at his side. Commanding a utopian world, full of strong vampires that didn't take more than they needed of human life, demons, and immortals like him. 

That was his dream.

He reclined back onto the couch, now all that was left was to find Mina.


	4. Reconniasance

Ch.8

Angel sat at his desk, contemplating what their next move should be. Opposite him, Spike sat in the easy chair, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Maybe we should draw out," Angel said finally.

"No bloody way," Spike replied, "We can't just abandon this right now."

"Spike," Angel said, "This is none of our concern, it's obvious that there is a lot more to this case than we first thought."

"So?" Spike retorted, "Yeah, that's obvious, but the other obvious thing is that he might be doing something….evil. Or something like that. We got to stop him."

"Please," Angel said, seeing through his mask, "You just want to get a chance to hurt him."

"Well….yeah," Spike said, "It's not like I don't have a good reason!"

"Look, I don't want to get into this further, I think it's best that we pull out-"

"I think it's not," said a voice that spawned from the door.

The two vampires looked to find Wesley leaning on the side of the door. He was holding a manila folder in his hand, thick with dozens of papers.

"Why?" Angel asked. 

"Well for starters, I think Spike could be right in his assumption that Dorian may be doing something evil," he began as he walked to Angel's desk and put the file down on the wood surface, "Look, even though there is little or no record of Dorian in our world, on the surface. There is a lot about him in the underground demon files."

"Demon files?" Spike asked as he stood up, "I didn't even know that demons knew what files were."

"It was a small fighting ring," Wesley informed, "They kept information on every fighter that participated in bouts. Dorian was the reigning champion four times in a row. They've got files of him kidnapping various vampires and demons. There has been much discussion of him doing many experiments and torturing his victims in both fights and personal matters."

He pulled out a few photos of other demons and vampires.

"These," he said, "Are three of the biggest crime lords in the demon world."

Spike looked at one of the photos of a female vampire and picked it up, "Hey! I know this girl, think I dated her for awhile."

Wesley looked at him, "Anyways, these guys hire Dorian to protect them, and guess what happened."

"He killed them?" Angel asked.

"More than that," Wesley answered, "Killed them, their friends and some of the family members. All the rest were kidnapped and never heard from again. The girl," Wesley said as he took the picture from Spike, "Is the most recent victim of his killings."

"And?" Spike asked.

"Well, she had a daughter. Well, what she considered a daughter. A girl that she turned into a vampire named Sair," Wesley explained, "She was taken by him a year ago, and she hasn't been heard from since."

Angel leaned back in his chair for a moment, "What's this guy doing?"

"I suggest that we still go in for the case," Wesley said, "We still look for Mina, but we investigate Dorian as well."

Angel nodded, "Alright, we'll do it. But we'll need to do some reconnaissance work."

Wesley nodded in approval, "Yes, but I cannot. I have to do more research here. Gunn is working on other cases and Fred is still looking up more and more stuff on Mina."

Angel looked down, "Well I guess there's no other choice…"

Spike laughed, "Well little Peaches has gotta go undercover eh?"

"Yeah," Angel said as he looked to Spike, "But you're coming with me."

"What?!"

"Well there's no one else, unless you would like me to stick you with Harmony. That could be arranged," Angel said slyly.

"You're still a dick," Spike muttered as he walked off.

"I'll call you with the details!" Angel called after.

"Up yours!" was the angry reply he got as Spike stormed out of his office.

Angel and Wesley laughed. 

Angel was pacing in his office, thinking on how he could do some undercover research on Dorian Gray. He knew where he was, just the approach. Dorian would, no doubt, sense the presence of two vampires following him. So how was he to do this?

As if on cue, his phone rang. 

Angel went over and picked it up.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Mr. Angel?" 

"It's Angel, thanks. Is this Dorian?"

"Quite correct," the voice on the other line said, "I've called to ask if you had any information on Mina yet."

"Well, we have found out that she is a vampire, her existence has been dating back since the 1700's at least. We've gotten a few prior addresses but have found no current one. We still need to investigate more, sir," Angel informed Dorian.

"Ah…" was what he heard on the other line. It seemed as if Dorian was somewhat disappointed, "Well, in light of your recent information and your findings being found quicker than I expected, I propose you join me tomorrow evening."

"What?" Angel asked.

"I'm hosting a ball at the hotel I am at. You see, I also own the hotel I told you I was staying at. The ball is for charity and a few more people could never hurt. I'll put you on the guest list, it's tomorrow, and you can bring any friends of yours if you like," Dorian said, the friendly tone in his voice betrayed Angel's first judgment of him.

'This is perfect,' Angel thought, 'This is just what we could do to investigate him further. But, he could be planning something. But Spike's coming with me, it's not like we can't defend ourselves.'

Deciding that he could do it and should Angel told him, "Absolutely."

"Excellent," was the answer he got, "It's tomorrow night at eight. Sharp."

After that, he hung up.

Angel did so as well. He knew something was up, time to get cracking on some research.

He went to his phone again and called up Fred. She answered after a few rings.

"Hello?"

"Fred, it's Angel. Look, I'm really sorry, but I need you to look this up for me."

" Sure, what do you need?"

"I need you to find out which hotel this number comes from, it's…" Angel fished for the card Dorian gave him, "846-2987."

"Got it, hang on."

After a moments' silence, Fred spoke again.

"It's the Exeter Hotel. Very fancy and prestigious from it's reviews."

"Great, can you tell me if there has been any previous articles in the paper relating to the hotel?"

Fred seemed confused by this sudden request, "Um, yeah."

Angel heard some computer keys clicking in the background and waited silently for her to get an answer.

"Got one. It's about a ball tomorrow night for charity. The owner…..Dorian Gray?!"

"It's alright, I know," Angel said, "Look, see what you can find about his life at the hotel. Anything will do. Me and Spike are gonna go to that ball."

"What? I'm not invited?" Fred asked jokingly.

"Believe me, it's not for fun. We're gonna try and see what we can find there."

"Good luck."

"I'll need it."

Angel hung up his phone, so this ball was reliable. But there still could be a trap, he pressed another button on his phone.

"Hello?"

"Harmony, I need a tux."

Ch.9

The next night……

After being fitted and receiving his tuxedo, invitation, and making plans on what he would do once he got to the ball, Angel walked downstairs in his new garb and took out the invitation to make sure of the time and date for the fifteenth time. 

"This doesn't look bloody natural," came a voice from the elevator.

Angel looked to the opened doors and saw Spike tugging at the sleeves of his tuxedo.

"I don't get it," he said, "How does bloody James Bond do it, yet I can't?"

"It's in the movies," Angel explained, "They perfect it."

"Whatever," Spike replied and then pulled out the sash that was suppose to go around his waist to complete the suit, "What do I do with this?"

"Spike!" Angel said, "You're suppose to put that on as a belt! God, did you not ever where a suit at all?"

"A couple of times," Spike replied, "But those were with suspenders, not bloody sashes."

"Well, put it on," Angel said.

"How?"

Angel sighed, "Come here."

Spike walked toward him.

"Give me the sash," Angel instructed and Spike did so, "Put out your arms."

"What?"

"Just do it."

Spike sighed as he did so and Angel started wrap the sash around him, hugging him to get it around his back.

"Hey, don't get too friendly Peaches," Spike warned.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Wesley asked as he came down the stairs. Imagine his surprise, seeing Angel and Spike.

Angel looked up, "We were just, I was just putting on his sash."

"And he couldn't do that himself?"

"He didn't know how."

"Right, I'm just going to stop talking about it"

Angel nodded as he tucked the sash into a belt and let Spike alone.

"I thought you two already left?" Wesley asked.

"We're going to leave now," Angel said.

"Well I just thought I'd let you know," Wesley started, "Dorian has a lot of 'friends' if you will, that will be there."

"Vampires?"

"Yes, be careful, I advise you."

"Good, thanks," Angel said, "Spike, let's go."

"Right," he replied as he followed him into the elevator.

Angel hit the button that led to the bottom floor and stood back. Spike leaned against the side and lit a cigarette.

"So how's this goin' down?" he asked as he blew out some smoke.

"Just try to find out all you can about him," Angel answered, "His friends, accomplices, try to snoop around his hotel. Look for places he can hide victims and such. I'll search his room."

"Better yet, do the reverse," Spike said, "I don't want to walk around meaningless until I find something."

"Alright," Angel said as he shrugged, "Just don't get caught."

Spike sighed as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. They walked through the lobby and out to the sidewalk. There, a limousine awaited them.

"Let's go then," Spike said as he got in.

'This is gonna be a long night,' Angel thought as he got in.

When they arrived, there was a great hustle and bustle outside of the hotel. Valets, red carpets, news crews, and celebrities alike were there. As they got out of the car, they were greeted with many cameras.

"Oh hell…" Spike said.

"What?" Angel asked.

"I'm not very photogenic."

"Whatever, remember what we're here to do."

"I haven't forgotten yet, be glad at that."

Angel shook his head as he stepped inside the luxurious hotel. It was lavishly decorated with banners, streamers, wine glass pyramids, and such. 

As soon as he entered, he was given a glass of champagne, which he put back on another tray as soon as the man that gave it to him left. Spike, however, did quite the opposite, downing his first two glasses as soon as he came in.

"I like this party already," he said.

"Don't get too drunk, you won't be of any use if you are," Angel said.

"Precisely the point of my actions," Spike replied.

"I'm asking, you just this once to help me out alright?"

"You take things too seriously, I was just kidding."

"Split up, meet back in ten minutes," Angel instructed.

Spike nodded and departed towards the grand staircase where many people were going up and down.

A few girls passed him by, taking his attention away for a minute or two, before he began to mingle again. Spike picked up on bits and pieces of irrelevant conversation and decided to start some himself. He flirted with a girl for a few moments silently before they spoke to one another.

"Hey," Spike said, working his accent to his biggest advantage.

"Hi," the girl answered.

"I'm new around here and I'm afraid I don't know many people. Do you think you could introduce me to some? Possibly, yourself first?" 

'Smooth,' Spike thought as he smirked.

The girl giggled, "Yes, I think I could do that. My name's Sarah, I'm Mr. Gray's informant."

"Really? You know Mr. Gray personally?"

"Yes, he's done a lot of favors for me and hired me with no prior experience."

"That's very nice of him."

"Yes, it was, He's a very nice guy and a very caring one too."

"Caring? How so?"

"Well," the girl began, "He took on an orphan girl off of the streets. He says she's mentally unstable, so she has to stay in his room, but he's helping her recover. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Yes," Spike agreed, mostly thinking on what this girl had to do with Dorian, "Tell me, do you know his room number?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I wanted to thank him for inviting me here to this party by sending him a donation to this ball. I wanted to deliver it personally, but I do not know which number room he's in."

"You seem like you're a little on the snoopy side."

"Oh come on," Spike said as he leaned in a little closer, nose to nose with the girl, "Please?"

And with that, he kissed her, leaving her breathless.

"Six sixty-six," she told him.

"Thanks," Spike said with a smile and wink. He turned away and headed back to meet Angel, threading his way through the many couples and people.

He just got some information.


	5. Long Night's End

Ch.10

Dorian walked down from his room, leaving Sair behind. She was still recuperating from the previous nights' blood drain. She could still live with the bare minimum, but not at her best. That's why he did that to her all the time, so she would become used to it and be powerful.

He shook his head, he needed to find Mina soon, maybe he had given that Angel guy too much credit, but then again, they had started from scratch. He knew these things already, they did not. He was practical.

At some point he had wondered if that Spike character had told Angel of his encounter, if so, it would bring a few complications into his plan. Did Angel invite him along? If he did, he would just take care of him at the party. He gripped his cane a little tighter, remembering what damage the sword inside had done to the vampire, this time, he would finish the job.

The noise of the party came wafting up to his ears from the first floor. As he walked down the stairs, the people erupted in chatter and praise of his arrival. He smoothed the front of his tuxedo as he gave a half-hearted smile to all of the guests, his eyes prying through them as he tried to find Angel and possibly, the other vampire he fought before.

Deciding that he'd better not delay his official welcome and that he could have a better view from the podium he was to be at, he walked towards the front of the big ball room. As he went up the steps, the room went down considerably in terms of noise and when he came to the microphone, it was dead silent. 

"Hello to you all and welcome to this fine charity ball in the name of the Sacred Heart orphanage," he spoke and paused as the audience clapped.

He spoke again when the clapping subsided.

"As you know," Dorian said as his eyes searched, "The Sacred Heart orphanage has been sheltering runaways and parentless children for over twenty years. It has sheltered many children and altered many lives as well as mine. When word came about that the orphanage was going to be demolished soon for quick profit and replaced with a movie theatre, I could not accept it. Such a wonderful place that has helped so many over the years was going to be wrecked for a quick dollar? Well I cannot let that happen, and I don't think you will either! So let's get this fundraiser started and get enough money to keep the Sacred Heart going for generations to come!"

After this speech, the audience erupted into an explosion of clapping. Dorian gave a fake smile and searched the crowd, he found them. He saw Angel half-heartedly clapping and the blond haired vampire, garbed in a black tuxedo so that he almost blended in with the others, was crossing the way to get to him. Spike looked like he had something important to tell Angel, what did he know? Dorian intended to find out. 

He picked his way through the crowd and approached Angel from behind. He slung his arm around his shoulder.

"Hey, you made it! Great, hey, I gotta talk to you real quick. Come on," he told him.

Angel hesitated at first, but then gave in and walked with him through to the back of the crowd. Dorian stopped him at the back behind the stairs. No one was near there and it was in the shadows. 

"Um, why are we here?" Angel asked.

"I don't really want anybody to know about my interest in the supernatural, think of what the press would say," Dorian answered without missing a beat, "Now, I just wanted to tell you."

Without saying anything more, Dorian unsheathed his sword and stabbed Angel through the stomach, pinning him to the wall. He stood back to see his work.

"Look," Dorian said, "I know what you are and what you're trying to do. And it's not going to happen. I am not going to let you ruin my dream. You are officially off of this case."

"What do you mean?" Angel said as he struggled to free himself, "What dream? Why are you doing this?"

"To create my own world," Dorian said as he ripped out his sword, "You're fired."

And with that, he sliced Angel in the face four times. Angel fell onto the carpeted ground and put a hand to his face that burned with pain and dripped with blood. The pain was so much that he passed out.

Dorian took Angel's kerchief out of his pocket, wiped his sword free of blood, and tossed it onto Angel's unconscious form. He sheathed back his blade.

Now to dispatch that other vampire, Spike.

Spike looked around, Dorian's sudden speech had taken his attention away from Angel momentarily, but when he looked back he was gone. He went by the drink table and drank a few glasses of champagne as he looked for his lost vampire in arms. He succeeded in finding nothing but blubbering old men, and stupid middle-aged people.

Spike decided that he would just go to Dorian's room and see what he could find. He could fill in Angel later. He set down his glass and walked over to the grand stairs. Better to leave when Dorian was gone and a lot of people weren't focused on him. He walked up the red carpeted steps and stopped at the landing at the second floor. 

He scouted out all of the room numbers, trying to find six-hundred six, all to no avail. He went to the elevator, which thankfully had a directory, and punched the button to the correct floor. Then the elevator dinged upon its' arrival on the twenty-something floor. 

Spike exited the elevator, staying to the shadows to avoid the passer-by guests, and finally reached room six sixty-six. He stopped in front of it, and put his ear to the door to try and hear if anyone was behind it. His vampire ears heard nothing, it was dead silent. He tried to open the door, not too surprised to find that it was locked, and vamped out. Using his strength, he kicked in the door. It swung wildly from its' broken hinges until he stopped it to eradicate further noise being made.

He walked in silently, looking around for anyone else, and closed the door, well, as much as it could, being broken and all. The room was, surprisingly enough, very bare of anyone. It looked as if the room had never been occupied. Hell, it still smelled like a brand new room. 

Spike went through the kitchen, living room type thing area, and even into the bathroom, but couldn't find anything or anyone. 

"Agh!" he heard coming from the bedroom suddenly. The noise broke the silence so much that his ears felt as if they would bleed. 

He fell back into the shadows and strained to hear another noise, but nothing happened. Deciding that he would be alright because he was already vamped out and ready to go, he walked into the bedroom. He was taken aback by what he saw. He saw the girl that he had seen two days before in the alley lying on the bed. He turned back to normal.

Thankfully, she was fully-clothed and asleep, so Spike wasn't worried. He took a few steps forward, toward the bed she was on, and heard the girl utter something inaudible in her slumber. Her eyebrows were furrowed, as if puzzled by a dream she was having. He stepped forward some more to hear what she was saying.

"Mister…….Dorian….sorry….I-didn't…mean..to…" was what the girl was muttering. 

Spike cocked an eyebrow, what did this mean now? He looked and saw that the girl was absolutely pale. Upon further inspection, he found that her hands were unnaturally cold, actually, her skin was cold. 

'What is this?' Spike thought, 'She's as cold as death itself….because she is dead. She's a vampire!'

This didn't make sense to him. Why did Dorian have a vampire in his room? Spike decided to put his thoughts to rest and get the girl out of here. Friend or enemy, this girl could be useful to them in their investigation. God, he was getting more and more like a corporate worker of Wolfram & Hart's by the day instead of being a vampire.

"What the hell are you doing here?" came a voice from behind him.

Spike suddenly turned to see Dorian who was standing in the threshold of the door to the bedroom.

"How the hell did you get behind me?" Spike blurted, he didn't pick up on his presence at all.

"I'm immortal, I've learned things over the years," Dorian answered as he unsheathed his sword from his cane, "And now, I think it's time I killed you."

Spike glared at him and tensed for a fight, his fangs elongating as he vamped out again. 

"Ah, that little trick again, eh?" Dorian said, "It didn't work last time, what makes you think it'll work now?"

"Well this time, I'm really pissed off at you," Spike answered as he leapt for Dorian.

Dorian feigned to the side and Spike reversed his motion well enough to land a punch on his enemies face. Dorian reeled and slashed back with his sword. Spike dodged it and kneed him in the stomach. He then round-house punched Dorian in the face. Dorian responded by slashing at Spike in the chest, creating a cut across his white dress shirt.

Spike jumped back and looked at the damage done to his outfit, "You bastard! I liked this shirt!"

Dorian smirked, "Oh well…"

Dorian attacked Spike with more furious slashes. Spike having a harder and harder time in avoiding them until he tripped on something and fell back onto the wall near a window. Dorian raised his sword up, preparing to stake Spike in the heart.

"Farewell my friend, see you never again," Dorian said with a grin on his face.

"Mister Dorian!" Spike heard from the left of the room. They both looked and saw the girl sitting stark upright in the bed, staring at the two.

"Sair!" Dorian said suddenly, but was cut off by Spike tackling him and throwing him down on the ground. 

"Not so tough now are you?" Spike said to him, preparing to deliver the worst of his wrath through a thorough beating.

"No!" he heard the girl cry and was suddenly tackled into the window. 

It broke open in a spray of glass and they both fell twenty some odd floors to the cement below. It was a few seconds before either of them stirred. Spike got up to horrible pains in his face, he felt it and found it was pieces of the window that had scratched him during the fall and landing. 

The girl did not stir. It looked as if she was dead, well, _really_ dead. Spike got to a sitting position and shook some stray shards of the broken window off of his jacket.

"Spike!" he heard from his right. He looked and saw Angel holding his face and running towards him.

He came to a stop in front of him and helped him to his feet.

"We've gotta get out of here," he told him and then looked to the unconscious girl on the ground, "Who's this?"

"The girl that was with Dorian earlier," Spike told him, "I think we should take her with us."

"What?"

"She might have some information, she could tell us something."

"Alright," Angel said as he picked up the girl and started off running.

"Wait!" Spike said, "Can't we take the limo?"

"Do you see it around?"

"No."

"Then come on!!"

Spike sighed and started running after Angel.

Dorian looked out his broken window, his hand held on the bottom of the pane. He saw the two vampires kidnapping his vampire daughter. His creation. His work.

He gripped the bottom pane, the glass cut into hand and the blood seeped out Dorian grit his teeth.

'You may have won this time,' he thought, 'But I will prevail in the end!'

Ch.11

Angel finally reached the garage to the firm. He walked towards the elevator, Spike was trailing behind him, panting for breath.

He turned to him.

"Come on," he told him, "It isn't that long of a run."

Spike came to a stop, "A small sprint isn't that long of a run. A couple of blocks, isn't that long of a run. But thirteen bloody miles is a bloody marathon!!"

"No," Angel panted, "A marathon is twenty-five miles now come on!"

Spike sighed, but then nodded as he went over and hit the button to summon the elevator. Angel lowered the girl from the position over his shoulder he had her to where he held her in his arms. His right arm at her bent knees and his left supporting her shoulders and neck although her head fell back. 

He stepped into the elevator, which had suddenly opened, and turned to Spike after it started to ascend. 

"So," he said, "What connection do you think Dorian has to this girl?"

"I don't know," Spike said as he lit up a cigarette, the stress of night's events getting to him, "This is just getting more and more complicated."

"Well, look on the bright side," Angel said, mistaking Spike's comment to relate to the case and not the girl, "Now that we have her, she might be able to tell us something."

"Like what?"

"Well, why Dorian wants to find Mina. What she has to do with Dorian and what he's up to."

"I don't think you're gonna get that much out of her," Spike said, "After all, she tackled me out of a twenty-something story window just to protect him."

Angel shrugged and the elevator dinged upon its' arrival at the floor they wanted to go to. They stepped out and were greeted by Fred.

"Hey, how'd the party go-who's this?" she asked as she looked at the girl in Angel's arms, "Friend of yours?"

"No," Angel shook his head, "One of Dorian's though."

"Looks like she's dead."

"That's because she is," Spike intervened, "She's a vampire."

"What?" this time coming from Angel and Fred.

"She's too cold to be a human and pale, but she's alive," Spike said, "I just know it."

"Well," Fred started as she quickly looked over the girl, "She doesn't look like she's been feeding….at all."

"Do you think we can put her somewhere safe until she wakes up?" Angel asked her.

"Yeah, you can put her in the lab."

"Make sure you restrain her," Spike said, "I received a nice tackle earlier, I don't want to see you get hurt."

Fred smiled, "Right, bring her this way."

Angel followed Fred down to the lab and lied her on the cot that Spike had laid on when he was injured earlier. 

The girl looked so pale and sickly that Angel truly wondered if she could be a vampire. Maybe just a very sick human. Or something else.

The girl had small scratches on her face, probably from the fall, but was all otherwise looked uninjured. 

"Maybe a freshly turned vampire?" Angel asked Fred as she started to put restraints on the girls' wrists connecting to the cot.

"I don't know, but do you want me to help you out with your injuries first?" Fred asked.

Angel had forgotten about his wounds, but the one in his stomach had already mostly healed and the cuts on his face were right behind, "No, I'm fine. The girl probably needs more help than I do anyway." 

"Maybe," she said as she secured the girls' wrist farthest from her and then picked up the one closest, "Whoa."

"What?" Angel asked.

Fred turned the girls' wrist carefully so that Angel could see it. He looked at the small childish hand and found purpled cuts that were barely starting to heal. They were wide gashes across her hands and looked pretty ugly. 

"My God," Angel said, "Do you think Dorian did this to her?"

"I don't know," said Fred, "But I'll figure out soon enough."

She began tending to the girls' wounds and Angel began to go upstairs.

"Wait," Fred called after him, "I found some stuff on Dorian at the hotel."

"What?" Angel asked as he turned from the stairs to face her.

"Well, seems that he owns it through other means. He didn't buy it, but he received it in a vampires' will. Apparently, after a vampire met her untimely end, she left everything he had to Dorian. So, Dorian got the hotel, millions of dollars, and whatever else that was left to him."

"How did the vampire die? Accident? " Angel asked feeling like he was onto something.

"Um, a murder. Someone snuck into her room and staked her through the heart, she ultimately died then."

"Did they ever find the murderer?"

"No, since it involved a vampire and a death like that, it would have been easy to overlook a lot of clues or things to help out with finding one," Fred replied as she turned from the girl on the cot, "Do you think Dorian did it?"

"Could be," Angel replied, "It did have a lot in it for him."

"Hm," Fred thought but then suddenly remembered something, "Oh, Wesley found something on Mina Harker. He told me to tell you guys as soon as you came back from the party, it's important apparently."

"He didn't tell you what it was?"

"Nope, I think he was too excited or busy," she replied.

"Well that works," Angel said, "Is he still in his office."

"Pretty sure."

"Thanks, and do you think you could call me when the girl wakes up?"

"Sure."

"Thanks again," Angel walked upstairs and saw Spike sitting on the steps to the stairs that led to the upper floor.

He looked up at Angel's entrance, "So how's the girl?"

"Don't know yet," Angel replied.

"Well, soon enough, right?" Spike said as he got up and walked towards the elevator, "I'm going home. If you need me, my phone will be unplugged so tough luck Peaches."

And with that, he walked in and the doors closed.

'Great,' Angel thought, 'Now I just need to talk to Wesley.'

He walked warily down to Wesley's office and saw the guy he was looking for hovered over an old book of sorts, his glasses poised at the edge of his nose, threatening to teeter off. 

"Wesley," Angel said as he leaned on the side of the door leading into his office, "Fred told me you found something."

"Yes!" he said as if suddenly remembering and regaining the initial excitement of when he first found whatever he wanted to show Angel, "Yes, yea. I've found out what Dorian is and where Mina Harker is."

"Really?" Angel was getting just as happy with this discovery, "What? Where..?"

"Um, alright. I looked in every sacred book I could find, rummage, and think of and found this," he said as he turned the book that he was currently looking at towards Angel.

Angel walked forward and looked at the pages, there were countless words in another language or scribe or something, he looked up, "What does it mean?"

"Well, it's basically a record of different creatures, demons, vampires…Like a glossary of unworldly things."

"Yeah…"

"Well, here it talks of an everlasting one. One that does not die, nor fade with time. One that keeps as if he were the same."

"In essence, like everlasting youth? A vampire?"

"Well, that was what I first thought, but then it goes into a more detailed description. One that knows only gray for it is the color of his appearance. He knows not of a change. Always gray, never black, only the soul is."

"The soul is black?" Angel asked.

"Meaning an evil to come," Wesley explained, "Like the person doesn't know it's coming. And then they say that this person or thing feels pain but never feels the scars. Maybe an inference from when Spike fought him. You said that he said the wound healed faster than a normal vampire?"

"Something like that, yes."

"Well, this could be it. And plus the name fits."

"Gray," Angel said.

"Yes," Wesley agreed.

"So what is it?" Angel asked.

"An immortal, one that can never die," Wesley answered.

"Great," Angel said, "So we can't kill him?"

"Not by any means that I can find."

"Well, try to keep on it. I have a feeling that whether we like it or not, he's gonna try something."

"The next Apocalypse perhaps?"

"Hey, everyone else is doing it nowadays, what's stopping him?"

Wesley sighed and then remembered something else, "Oh, and Mina's address? I found it. It's the most current and one that is kept up."

"Where is it?" Angel asked.

"Arizona, in Litchfield Park," Wesley said as he gave Angel a piece of paper, "She owns an apartment there."

"Thanks," Angel replied, "I'm just gonna get some sleep and I'll decide for further action tomorrow."

"Alright," was the reply he got before Wesley poured himself into the book he had again.

Angel walked out of his office. 

That was an end to a long night.


	6. Memories

Ch.12

Spike finally got home. He shed off the cumbersome feeling tuxedo, took a shower, and wore a pair of shorts for bed. Nearly collapsing on the bed, he tried for sleep.

But sleep would not come to him. He was not a granted the temporary release from reality that everyone was always given. The girl plagued his thoughts, Sair.

Bad memories came swarming in to him. Long forgotten pieces that were buried in his mind were suddenly excavated and shown with a clear brilliance. He suddenly remembered who Sair was and why he wanted to forget her.

It was during a time that was most peculiar to him. A time in which he abandoned Druscilla for a while, but before he had even known Buffy. A time in which he wanted nothing more than a mental getaway. True happiness that he was always denied as he was a vampire.

He met Lucia the vampire then. The one that would soon run the biggest crime runners in the demon world, was the one that he had fallen in love with. Together, they lived in what he thought was true happiness and for a while was, until Sair came into their lives.

Spike had lived with Lucia, feeling what was joy for the longest time, and then she took in Sair, an orphan off of the streets. She took her in like a lost puppy and doted upon her like a new one. Always giving her the love and affection she had never gotten herself, but never turning her into a vampire. She didn't want Sair to live forever, she wanted her to live a happy human life, that was a blessing in her eyes. This soon wore thin on Spike's patience and nerves. He felt more and more like a neglected older brother to a newborn sibling with each passing day. Finally, he couldn't take it, he snapped. 

On the night of Sair's thirteenth birthday, he led her away from the celebration. With one swift motion, he took her life and turned her into a vampire. Lucia was shattered when she found Sair feeding on a human the next night. Spike was sure that Lucia would hate him for it, but he couldn't take the negligence. However, Sair never told her who did it and it was up to Spike to comfort Lucia from the sadness he had suddenly caused in her life.

Spike found himself on the brink of insanity. He couldn't do it anymore. He left Lucia and Sair as he set off for some other place. Before his departure, Sair had bid him farewell.

"Why didn't you tell her?" Spike had asked her.

"Because in my eyes, you did it for a reason. She had stopped loving you and started loving me. You were left out in the cold and no one deserves that feeling," she had told him, "In my eyes though, you will always be a brother to me."

Spike shut his eyes, not to try and sleep, but to ward off the bad memory. Now, Lucia was dead, killed at the hands of Dorian Gray, and Sair was a follower of him or worse. A victim of him. 

He got up off his bed, it was obvious that sleep would not come to him. He instead went to his dresser and opened a drawer. After a bit of shuffling through old papers and clothes, he found what he was looking for. He withdrew a small handheld frame, inside it's borders lied an old black and white picture of him and Sair. Lucia wanted it, but he took it with him for some unknown reason. Now, he looked upon it's aged surface and saw that their smiles were not that of plastic, but genuine happiness. He was happy at one time, and Sair was with him.

Spike didn't know what to do. Should he tell Angel about how he knows Sair? Should he speak to Sair personally? Or should he just forget the whole thing? Suddenly, he felt tired. Ironic, how at the one time he needed to think, his mind needed to sleep. Without further thought, he went back into bed and slowly slipped away from the waking world, granting him a bit of peace for a little while.

His phone rang, jolting him awake in his bed. Spike groaned and looked at the clock. 6:00 a.m??

What the hell?!

He rolled over to the side table and groaned once again when the phone rang in his ears.

'Dammit,' he thought, 'Forgot to unplug it.'

Spike picked it up and after half a dozen tries, finally talked into the right way without dropping it.

"Hello?" he spoke rather sleepily, he still had not fully awakened yet.

"Spike, it's Angel," a voice on the other line said.

"Angel?" Spike repeated, "What the hell are you callin' me at six in the damn morning for?!"

"It's about the girl," Angel replied.

"What happened?"

"She's awake, and calling for you."

Spike stopped for a moment. Did he just say what he thought he said?

"What?"

"She's calling for you. Ever since she woke up an hour ago, she won't let anyone near her until she sees you."

"Oh…."

"Look, I don't really care how she knows you at the moment or why for that matter, but just get over here. She's already injured two people and we've had to lock her in the room. We don't want to hurt her, but she's not relenting so come on. I'll send a car."

And with that, Angel hung up.

Spike held his phone for a moment, and then hung it up. So Sair remembered who he was after all this time. He didn't want to see her again to be honest, all the pain being brought back to the surface, but he had to. To put himself at peace, or at least give Sair some. 

Without further contemplation, he dressed and met the driver that drove him to the firm and an awaiting Sair.

Ch.13

Sair would not relent, she thrashed about in the lab room she was in. After breaking her restraints, she gashed one of the female doctors with a scalpel and punched a guy in the mouth who came down in light of the noise that she made. 

Armed with her fangs and whatever else she could find in the laboratory she was in, she barricaded herself there. The only thing she could remember was Mr. Dorian fighting someone……fighting Spike.

Spike!

She remembered seeing him, but where was she now? Utter confusion arrested her thinking and was helpless to do otherwise. All she wanted was to see Spike again, he could tell her what was happening, could tell her it was going to be okay. To comfort her.

"Look!" someone yelled from the stairs that led to the lab.

Sair looked up and saw the vampire that had been talking to her for the past hour, trying to calm her down.

"We don't want to hurt you! We just need you to calm down!" he pleaded.

"No!" she shook her head, "I wanna see Spike! Not until I see Spike!"

She threw some random object at the vampire and he disappeared. Sair couldn't take it, it was all getting to her. The confusion, the memories, everything. 

She fell back against the wall and slumped down to the floor. She was near crying, she wanted this all to end. She wanted it to be like the old times, when she knew Lucia and Spike. When she was happy. 

Sair remembered the one day back then that she truly connected with Spike.

She was riding her horse that she had gotten for her twelfth birthday. Just recently a rider, she was having trouble taming the wild stallion. 

It was very spirited indeed, refusing to have a saddle, reins, or a rider. Bucking, thrashing, and galloping to throw her off. Her body wracked with the violent movements it made in effort to dismount her. Finally, Sair had lost grip of the reins and flew off, scrambling away before the stallion planted its' hooves in her skull, but it succeeded in kicking her in the side before running off to the end off the grassy corral.

Sair led on the ground and held her side, white hot pain was searing itself through her. A few tears escaped her eyes but she held back the worst of her sobs. Stupid horse.

"You alright?" he heard above her.

She looked up, surprised to see Spike standing beside her. He smiled and helped her to her feet.

"You alright?" he repeated.

Sair shook her head, "No, he kicked me."

"Really?" Spike asked as he looked to the horse at the other end of the corral, "He throw you off?"

"Yeah," she answered as she winced from the pain.

Spike held out his hand, "C'mon, I'll help you ride him."

As he led her, she asked, "But I can't, he'll just throw me off again."

"Oh I'll fix that."

They reached the horse, who was currently grazing, and Spike went up to it. He held it's bridle to make the stallion face him and then told Sair to get on. 

She obeyed and felt the horse writhe under her. She felt it ready to buck but it stopped as soon as Spike vamped out in its' face. 

The horse whinnied in fear as it tried to tear away, but Spike kept his grasp on the bridle.

"Now, be a nice horsie and let her ride you," he told it, and then nodded to Sair, who gave the reins to him. 

For hours, he led her around the corral on the horse, the two of them talking of different things of various topic, and never once did the horse try to dismount her from it.

When she had put the horse in the stable and fed it after her successful ride, she talked to Spike afterwards.

"Why did you do that for me?" she asked, she was always under the impression that he disliked her.

"I did it because….I don't know," he said with a wondering smile.

"Well, whatever the reason, thanks."

"No problem," he said as he went to go back to the house, "Remember, if you have any more problems with the horse or anything else, you can come to me."

"I'll hold you to that," she said.

"You can," he replied with a smile, and then walked towards the house.

She remembered she smiled that day, she smiled that day when they took a picture because of that. Spike had given her good memories, and that was the reason why she never told Lucia that he had turned her into a vampire. He was her brother, and now all she wanted was to hold him to his promise. That he would help her when she was in need, that he would comfort her when she needed him.

Tears welled in her eyes and she began to cry, the pain was too much. She just wanted everything to stop, to be happy again. Her tears ran down her face and she didn't take notice of another person coming into the room. 

"You alright?" she heard a familiar voice say above her.

She looked up as she did that one day and saw Spike, just like that one day. 

Sair said nothing, but jumped up and hugged him. He hugged back, as she buried her face in his chest and sobbed.

"I've..waited for s-so long…" she cried.

"Shhh," Spike comforted her, "It's alright, I know."

For the longest time, they said nothing, but just hugged each other, happy to be in one another's presence. They probably would have hugged for longer, but a voice broke into their moment.

"Spike?" came a voice from the stairs. 

They both turned to face the other vampire.

"Is she okay?" he asked him.

Spike nodded and the vampire started to walk down the stairs.

Sair tensed at his approach, but was relieved by Spike's reassurance, "It's alright."

"Who is he? Where is this place?" she asked suddenly.

"Well, let them fix you up a bit," Spike told her, noting the small scratches on her face and her hands were bleeding slightly, "And I'll tell you all about that."

Sair took no hesitation, she nodded in agreement and stood by him. Almost afraid of the others that were coming down the stairs, but knowing that Spike would never let them put her in danger.

Two people, along with the vampire, came down the stairs. One person, kept a crossbow aimed at her as the other two came to the stairs.

Sair hid behind Spike, who held her hand to comfort her.

"Take it easy Weasel, she's alright," he told the man.

"She injured Fred, what makes you think you think you won't be next?" the guy retorted, still keeping his weapon at ready.

"Imagine you in her place, confused," Spike pointed out.

The guy sighed and then lowered his crossbow. Spike stayed in the same position, not revealing her. Sair cowered behind him, she didn't want to be in any trouble or danger for that matter. 

"So, Spike, do you think that she's alright enough to perhaps let the doctors check her out?" the vampire asked her brother.

"I don't know, is she?" Spike asked, turning his head towards her.

Sair nodded timidly and followed as he led her to the upper floor of the place she was in. The others, except for the vampire, started to clean up the lab that she ravaged. 

They all walked up the stairs and arrived at a lightly carpeted floor. There were many offices and windows, showing not much except overhead lights that were illuminating the whole floor, and the windows that showed the dark, early morning sky. 

She took a seat on yet another thing of stairs, sitting on the first landing, not more than a few steps up. Sair suddenly felt tired, the adrenaline wearing off from her prior tantrum in the laboratory. 

"Just relax, alright?" Spike told her, and she obliged.

He turned to the other vampire, whispering a few words so low that even her own vampiric ears couldn't hear what they were saying, and then turned back to her. Sair saw a woman that she had injured earlier in the lab below approach the two, she had a small band-aid on her forehead, but seem all otherwise, uninjured.

"You gonna be alright?" the other vampire asked her and she nodded. A different doctor, scientist, whatever the hell he was, gave her a med kit. Sair watched as the girl came up and sat timidly nect to her.

"Now Sair," Spike said and she looked to him, "This is Fred, she's a good person, she's not gonna hurt you."

Sair nodded and looked to Fred, who gave her a reassuring glance and started to dab at the scratches on her forehead with a gauze.

"Hi," she said to her.

"Hi," Fred replied as she finished dabbing at her forehead and concentrated on the slashes on her wrists that had opened themselves back up, "Now, Sair, could you tell me where you got these?"

At this, she grew silent.

"The only reason I want to know, is so that I can treat them."

After a moment of silence, the young vampire spoke, "Mr. Dorian gave them to me."

"What?" Spike said in sudden angry surprise.

"I was bad," Sair began, "I fed on more than one person, and so he drained the rest of the blood that I took away."

"He drained you of blood?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, I fed from three people, killing them….He said it was bad and so, he cut my palms and wrists. He was right, I shouldn't have eaten that many. I'm lucky he lets me eat at all."

Spike's face twisted with anger, but he did not let it out, instead, he just turned away quickly. Not wanting to show his younger sister his rage.

"But, Sair," the other vampire started, "You do know you have to eat to live."

"No, Mr. Dorian says there's a way to live without feeding."

"That's impossible."

"He says it's not," Sair told him automatically, not minding Fred as she wrapped her hands in gauze.

"Um, if I could be so nice as to interject," Fred started, "You do need to feed though Sair, your body can't heal itself if you don't feed, meaning you can get really sick."

"No, I've already fed."

"I think Mr. Dorian may have drained too much blood from you."

"No, I can't," the young vampire spoke as she stared off, "It's bad…he says so…I can't."

Fred began to say something to protest this, but Spike intervened.

"I think that's enough talking for now. Angel, do you think that we can get a place for Sair to clean and rest up?"

The other vampire seemed to catch onto something, "Uh, yeah. Um, Fred? I hate to ask, but do you think you can take Sair to some temporary room?"

"Sure, maybe Harmony knows where it is," the girl said as she gathered her things and indicated that Sair should follow, "This way."

The young vampire nodded after a nervous glance to Spike, who nodded in reassurance, and then began to walk after the doctor.

After a bit of small traveling, she was showed into a pretty ordinary room. The girl named Fred said something about it being used to house shape-shifters that had trouble keeping there form or something or other. Sair was just glad that she could take a shower and go to sleep, which she did, and did not wake up until it came to her.

Kinda short, I know, but did you expect my little twist? Didja? Didja? Didn't think so….Please review!!


	7. Coming Back

Ch.14

The gang met in the board room about two hours after Sair was put in a room to rest. Frankly, all were on edge.

"Well, first order of business," Angel started, sitting at his place at the head of the table, "It seems Sair is quite alright now, looks as if she got out all of her pent up energy."

"Well I do understand her position in the matter," Fred started, sitting to the right of him, "The poor girl was afraid, she woke up and didn't know where she was."

"But that doesn't give her a right to go hostile on the people around her," Wesley said bitterly from her right.

"Actually, it kind of does," Gunn said from his seat across from him, "She reacted by what her instinct told her. It told her to fight, it's how a lot of creatures live, including humans."

"Well, nevertheless, it seems that Dorian's company has changed her a bit," Angel concluded.

"A bit?" came Spike's voice from his position at the far wall. He had been turned away from them, thinking about the recent events.

"You call that," he said as he turned towards them, "A bit?"

"Well, I mean she has changed," Angel said, "But it doesn't seem like a whole lot."

"Angel, are you not seeing the big picture here?" Spike started, "That bastard has totally screwed with her brain! She thinks its' bad for a vampire to even feed because supposedly he says so! He has warped her mind to think differently!"

"We don't know what happened to her," Angel said, "It could be just something that changed within her, something since you've known her."

"Yes and speaking of which," Wesley interjected, "How do you know her? She looked quite relieved to see you after all of her demands and ranting for us to get you to her."

Spike sighed.

"What have you been keeping from us?" Fred asked.

"Wesley," Spike began, "Remember that one woman that I thought I had dated for awhile?"

"Uh, oh yeah. The one girl that Dorian murdered right?" 

"Yeah."

"Uh, excuse me, but what are you talking about?" Fred asked suddenly, with a look of confused.

After that, Spike explained the whole story to them. Everything he knew about Lucia and Sair. When he had finished, everyone was speechless.

"So now you understand," Spike said, his anger growing, "Now you understand why Dorian must die, he screwed up her mind. He killed everyone she knew and had the audacity to brainwash her? This isn't an enemy to me. He is the only evil and I have to stop him. Eliminate him."

"You can't go as far as that," Angel said, "He can't be killed."

"I'll find a way," Spike said, "He's crossed the line, he won't live, not as long as I am."

And with that, he left the room in anger.

Angel sighed, this wasn't a mission anymore, it was revenge. 

Spike went down the steps from the board room. He sighed, this wasn't something he was ready for. He couldn't take it, it all happened too fast. He settled on the steps to the first platform of the stairs. He held his head in his hands, this was tiring. He checked the clock, it was seven at night already? The time flew too quickly.

The sun had already set, and it was pitch black now. He got up to his feet and sighed again. 'Maybe I should visit Sair,' he thought. Deciding that that was a good idea, he went to Harmony to find out where she was.

"Harmony," he started, "Do you know where Sair is staying at?"

"Um yeah," she said as she looked through her papers and finally found what she needed, "She's in one of the temporary shape-shifter rooms."

A moment of silence passed between the two, Harmony staring intently at Spike.

"Which one?" he asked.

"Oh right! Um," she shifted through another couple of papers, "Number 202."

"Thanks."

"Your welcome!" she called after him after a few more moments of silence.

He was inclined to give her the finger because her stupidity was so disgusting, but instead, he just waved her off as he went to the elevator.

Spike reached the floor that held all of the specialized rooms and walked to the one Sair was occupying. He knocked twice and when no answer came, he opened up the door. His eyes widened at what he saw.

He went to the phone and dialed Angel's number.

"Hello?" was the answer on the other end.

"Angel," Spike said, "Sair's gone."

Ch.15

"What?"

"I mean she's gone, meaning not in the space she was occupying before!" Spike told him, "She couldn't have gone far, I'll try to find her."

Angel started to say something, but Spike hung up the phone. He went to the neatly broken window and looked down onto the busy street. Lampposts lit up the streets dimly and for the most part kept most of the surrounding area dark, harder for him to find her. 

Spike stepped out onto the pane, half in, half out and sniffed the air. He could vaguely pick up her scent, but it was enough to follow. Without further time to waste, he jumped out of the window, flipped, and landed in a crouch on the cement. 

He ran after her.

About forty minutes later, Spike was closer to finding her, her scent was becoming stronger by the minute.

He turned down a particularly dark alley, his coat swishing as he went, and almost tripped over something. He looked down and was surprised to find a body beneath him. He bent down to get a closer look, it was guy, his eyes were wide open in fear and death. But there wasn't much left of him, his body was completely ravaged and his head was saved a bit

Spike sighed and walked onward around a corner and into three more alleys before he found another body, this one of a young girl. No older than 17 or 16. She looked just like Cordelia used to at Sunnydale, overdressed for no real occasion. He checked the pulse, the girl was the same as the guy before, dead. But more suttle-like, just a bite mark, no more. 

By now, Sair's scent was intoxicating. Spike knew she was close now, his walk had long since turned into a half run and he was eager to find her. He didn't want any more people dead, what would the blood do to her? Whenever she fed, Dorian would just drain her before it could circulate into her system. But now, now was a whole new ballgame. 

He went through a few more alleys before the strong scent of freshly spilled blood filled his nostrils and stirred his own. He went on until he stepped on broken glass, making a crunch underneath his shoe. Spike looked up and saw a broken light next to a back door to a restaurant or club or something. 

The vampire walked a few steps and heard soft sobbing. It was coming from behind a nearby dumpster. Almost afraid of what he would find, Spike timidly rounded the end of the giant trash can and found Sair, crumpled in the corner, her knees drawn to her chest. 

In her hands, was the wrist of a young girl, no older than her. Sair was crying as she slowly drained the life out of her, taking the girl away from this world. Her eyes met Spike's and she lowered the wrist onto the ground, never breaking eye-contact. The girl slumped awkwardly to the side, close enough to death, but yet so far away. Spike knew the girl wouldn't die for awhile unless her suffering was put to an end by the vampire who had started killing her. 

It was almost hard for him to watch, but her vampire instincts were coming back, that was a good thing. But this would not go over with Angel. And it was unnecessary carnage though, these people didn't deserve to die. 

"Sair…" Spike whispered as he looked down on her.

"It's not fair…" the vampire said as her eyes brimmed with tears, "It's just not fair…"

"What?" asked Spike.

"They all had everything…and they wasted it…" she said, "They had the most precious thing ever, life! Freedom! And they waste it!"

"Sair! You do not know if they wasted it," Spike replied.

"They did, I know they did…they wanted to give their life, they wanted this!" she told him.

"Sair, you need to kill this girl, end her suffering," the vampire told her.

"No, she needs to suffer, to know what she's losing! What I felt!"

Spike bent down and looked into the young vampire's eyes.

"Please.." he said.

At first she shook her head, denying the dying girl a quick end, but then the girls' eyes softened and she nodded as she swallowed a lump in her throat. She pulled the girl up and placed her hands on her head. With a swift motion, Sair wrung the girls' neck, feeling and hearing the snap of the bone, ending her life. 

The victim slumped over to one side, no longer living.

Sair pushed away from her and started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Spike asked in question to her sudden haste.

"Away from here, I can't take it!" Sair yelled.

"Don't walk away from the carnage you created!" Spike yelled after her.

Sair turned around and stared at Spike squarely in the eyes.

"What am I suppose to do then? Sit here and rot?!" her anger flared through her words and tears were in her eyes, "I went twenty years with that bastard Dorian, never knowing what was going on outside of that bloody hotel walls' And now, you want me to stay here?! I'm not going to stay anywhere ever! I'm sick and tired of people telling me what to do!"

"Then why are you here?" Spike countered.

Sair fell silent.

"Yeah, you think you're all big now don't you?"

"I never said that."

"But you feel it," Spike said as he started to walk towards the younger vampire, "You feel all of these things because you buried them. You never got a chance to feel them again. Dorian messed with your head, and now, you feel as if you have to defend yourself against everything."

Sair fell silent again, her feelings burning in her chest, ready to explode.

"You don't have to defend yourself against me. You don't have to, you can trust me," Spike said as he came to a stop in front of her, "To protect you. I promise you that."

The young vampire was silent and then she looked up at her brother, "Dammit Spike, you always had a soft spot, no matter what."

"Yeah well, it's grown a bit."

She smiled at him, and then gave him a hug. After a few moments, Spike released her.

"Well, why don't we go back?" he asked.

"Perhaps I should," Sair said, finally free of her old worries, fears, and restraints, "Walk with me, and I'll go."

"Alright."

He smiled at her and started off, all the while, Sair right by his side.


	8. Wounds & Healing

Ch. 16

They finally got back to the firm at 3:00 a.m. Sair going to bed freely and without question. When the door was shut, Spike let out an exasperated sigh. The previous days' and this nights' events were quite trying on the vampire that was depraved of sleep and blood. 

He went downstairs from the floor the room was and found Angel's office, it was only three in the morning, he should still be there. Spike wasn't too surprised when he found that he was right. 

Angel wasn't at his desk like normal, he was staring out at the city. The night bathing it in wondrous mischief the dark often brought.

"Angel," Spike said from the doorway.

"What is it Spike?"

"….I found her," the vampire said.

Angel turned, "Really?"

"Yeah," Spike sighed.

"There's more to it isn't there?"

"Yeah.." the vampire looked down to the floor.

"What is it?"

"Her vampire instincts are coming back to her."

"Well, isn't that a good thing?"

"Depending on how you look at it. To me, well, it's a bloody good thing, but to you…"

"What? What did she do?"

"…I found three bodies. She killed them all. She was feeding."

"How?"

"The first I found was torn out. All save his head. Then there was another one, but she was just bitten. I found Sair with the third, she was past saving, Sair had drained her enough that she would teeter on death for a bit, but wasn't able to be saved."

Angel remained silent.

"Her emotions are coming out again. And now she feels overwhelmed by them."

"Where is she now?"

"In her room, I made her promise that she wouldn't leave again, she won't."

"How do you know you can trust her?"

"I know I can-"

"She's been feeding on human blood now and you say she's feeling old emotions that were buried. She's unstable, Spike."

"She won't do it again, I'll make sure of it."

"You better. Because now, it's not sympathy. She knew what she was doing and if she were any other vampire, I'd stake her on the spot, but she's not. Since you seem to have so much faith in her, I'll let this go, but do not think that she'll get a second free pass alright?"

"Alright, you have my word," Spike said, ordinarily, he'd never take this crap from Angel but he knew it was serious, "We need to get Sair on some pig's blood or whatever you eat, it'll probably do something to her if she keeps human blood constant in her system."

"Fine, I'll have Fred deliver some in a little while." 

"Good," Spike said as he started to leave, but turned back, "And Angel?"

"What?"

"….thanks."

Angel just nodded in reply, even though he was surprised beyond all reason by Spike's thanks, and the other vampire left.

A half an hour later, Fred delivered the blood to Sair's room, where Spike waited. She looked down on the sleeping vampires' form and smiled. Setting down the box full of blood packets, she lightly pushed on his shoulder to wake him. 

His eyes fluttered open.

"Five more minutes…." he muttered before shifting to his side.

Fred laughed lightly, but then grimaced as Spike leaned his weight further to the side in his sleep and slid down to hit his head on the doorframe hard. 

"Ow!!" he yelled as he was jolted awake by the pain.

"Are you alright?" Fred asked him.

"Do I bloody look alright?!" Spike almost yelled as he clutched at the bruise forming on his forehead, "How long have I been out?"

"Maybe thirty minutes or so, I got the call from Angel a little while ago," she told him, "You holding the fort here?"

"Yeah," Spike said as he got up and Fred followed, "I wanted to make sure she wouldn't get out again."

"Well," Fred said as she hoisted up her box, "Here's the blood you ordered."

Spike took the box from her, "Thanks. Oh and by the by, what time is it?"

Fred checked her watch, "Three-forty."

"Great," Spike said, "Thanks again."

Fred smiled and nodded as she left down the hall and Spike entered Sair's room.

He wasn't all that surprised when he found her awake, sitting at the edge of her bed. She looked up at his entry into her room.

"Hey," Spike said.

"Hey," she replied.

"Got a treat for ya," Spike said as he sat next to her on the bed, showing her the boxes' contents.

"Thanks, but I'm not really hungry."

"No problem, we can eat later," Spike said as he set down the box.

She stayed silent for a long while and the other vampire wondered if he should leave.

"Am I a bad person?" Sair asked.

"What?"

"Am I a bad person?" she repeated, "After I killed those people?"

"No," Spike said as he put an arm around her shoulders, "You're not a bad person, as a vampire, you need to feed. It's how you live, if you don't feed on anything, you can't live."

"Just…all that time with Dorian made me think I could actually be good if I didn't feed. It's was just a big lie."

"No, it wasn't a lie, just a bad theory. A very bad theory," Spike said, "There are vampires that are good though, and they feed."

"Like you?"

"Very flattering," Spike said, "But Angel too."

"Who?"

"The other vampire here that you saw downstairs."

"Oh yeah, the one who had the hair that did the flippy thing?"

"Yeah, that's him," Spike laughed, "He feeds on pig's blood and he's good. He helps people here."

"How?"

"He stops Apocalypse's and defends people and demons alike from unjust things," Spike said, laughing inwardly at his own words.

"Like a modern day vampiric Robin Hood?" Sair asked with a smile.

"Kind of," Spike said with a smile, "But he gets a big payoff and deals with a hell of a lot more than Robin ever did."

Sair laughed and then looked at him, "Thank you Spike."

"For what?"

"For being there for me, "she said, "You've stayed with me."

"I guess its' the big brother in me."

Sair laughed, but then went silent.

"What is it?" Spike asked.

"I'm just a little uneasy," she said as she got up from the bed, "Do you think we can go for a walk?"

"It's a few hours till sunrise, sure," Spike agreed as he got up. 

They both left via the newly repaired window and walked along the rooftop, all the while, talking of their pasts.

Ch.17

Dorian dressed in his gray suit, it was the form she remembered him best in. He tucked the kerchief into his pocket after he meticulously folded it with practiced precision. After retrieving his cane, he checked himself in the mirror.

He smiled at his own reflection, everything was going to his plans. Everything would be perfect, just like him. 

After a final smile was given to his image, Dorian went out the door of his hotel room. He went down to the lobby and exited through the grand double doors. 

He walked into the early morning world, still resting but somehow still awake. He walked along the sidewalk, completely unafraid of what danger was around or near him, for it posed as no threat. Dorian strolled along for about an hour before he came to an old so-called abandoned house. 

The door was old and taped to discourage people coming in, apparently doing its' job because the house was still. If it were any passer-by, they would think the house was lifeless, but Dorian knew better. 

With a swift motion, he quietly broke the tape and remnants of the door with his cane and stepped inside.

It was dark and dank inside. Not only was it lifeless, it was old and dusty, as if no one had lived in it for at least a century. Dorian stepped lightly on the crumbling wooden floorboards and made his way to a very dusty staircase, passing by the doorway to what used to be a library, but was now just a bunch of papers lost in the times' power. 

Each step creaked as he put a foot on it, threatening to give, but never did. After a little while of climbing unstable stairs, Dorian came to the single hall and he knew immediately which door to enter out of the eight that were there. 

He walked down the hall to the last one on the left and opened it with a silent click and swing. As the door opened, he took in the vision of the room, perfectly preserved. The great tapestries hung by the windows as they used to, were pulled close together so that no light came in. The bed was still in the middle left of the room, its' purple silken sheets and comforter remained the same as well. 

The rugs were still the ones that he had bought, all that time ago, with their Persian designs and wondrous material. The kerosene lamps that hung from the walls burned brightly to light the room with a nice glow and revealed who he was looking for.

She was hunched over a suitcase on top of the bed, full of clothes, books, and other various things that she would need on her journey that she thought she was going to take, but Dorian would change that.

"I think you're over packing," he said as he leaned on the doorjamb, "I mean, you're not even going anywhere."

The woman stopped suddenly, and turned slowly around to face the immortal. Dorian smiled, she looked just like she use to. Dark hair that spilled over her shoulders, thin features that were hidden by her leather ensemble. It was an early type of duster. It opened up at the waist after it was buttoned to the collar and created a kind of skirt effect, except for the fact that it was open in the front to reveal her leather pants and black shoes that she wore underneath.

"Dorian," she nearly whispered.

"Yes, it's me, not an illusion," he smirked as he said this.

"You're dead," the woman said.

"Mina, Mina, Mina…." he chided as he walked over to her and placed a hand on her cold cheek, "When will you ever learn? I am an immortal, I can't die."

"But the painting…" Mina trailed.

"You really think a blasted painting can stop me?" Dorian said with a smile, "That's preposterous and you know it."

He took his hand away from the speechless vampires' face and walked over to the armoire, noting the little pieces of paper that were littered upon the top, picking on up and studying it as if an ancient artifact.

"I must say, you've kept the place in great shape. Not a things' changed," Dorian said, keeping his eye on her.

"Including you," Mina said.

"That's how it works," Dorian said as he flitted away the piece of paper he was studying to the floor and walked towards the vampire, "Come with me Mina. It will be just like old times."

"But the old times are gone," the vampire said.

"We can make new ones then," Dorian said as planted a small kiss on her lips, "You could never resist an offer from me."

"I did back then," she said to him.

"No you didn't, you were just contemplating it, until you thought it was too late," Dorian fed her lies like it was blood, "Join me now. Once again."

It was a gentle order coming from his lips that seemed as hypnotizing as white noise to the vampire.

"I know you have been missing me this whole time Mina," Dorian said, "You felt guilty for my death."

"You deserved to die…" the vampire resisted.

"No, you went along with the rest of the league against me and then you brought that horrid 'end' if that's what you want to call it!" Dorian was reversing everything that happened.

"No, it was the right thing to do," the vampire resisted barely, her barriers breaking down.

"What? Killing your lover?! Killing me?!" Dorian shouted so that she winced at the harshness of his words. 

She began to cry and fell to her hands and knees. Her body wracked with her sobs.

"I-I just tried…to do..t-the r-right..thing…." she sobbed.

"Shhh…" Dorian hushed as he kneeled in front of her. 

He lifted her chin with his forefinger and whispered, "Let me take away your pain Mina. You've suffered more than any one of those members of the league ever did. More than anyone else should. I forgive you for letting me die. Let me make your pain go away, come with me."

He planted another kiss upon her lips and she looked up. 

"I'll make it go away…" he trailed as he looked into her eyes. He hypnotized her, brainwashed her, like he did with Sair before and dozens of others to stray them away.

Mina's eyes clouded and she nodded mutely as Dorian took her hand and helped her to her feet.

"Now.." he said with a victorious smirk, "Let's go home."

He led her out of the broken home, down the street. It wasn't too far into the morning and there was at least a few hours until sunrise. All the time he needed to enact the first part of his plan.

"Mina," Dorian said to the vampire at his side.

"Hm?" she asked in her trance as she looked at the night sky.

"Let's go for a walk," he said with a smirk.


	9. Bad Things

Ch.18

"No way! You were in love with the slayer?" 

"You know what the slayer is?"

"Well, duh! Any vampire knows what a slayer is! It's like automatic knowledge when you're turned!"

Spike and Sair were walking along rooftops of various buildings, homes, factories, businesses; all the while, talking of their pasts.

"So," Sair started up again as she crossed over to another roof and looked back to Spike when she landed, "When did this all happen?"

"Well," Spike said as he jumped over to the other rooftop, landing lightly and continuing to walk, "This happened awhile ago, but not too long."

"So I'm assuming not like a century ago."

"Right, I just forget the time, a few years back."

"So, you went to this place called Sunnydale, and you were with Drusilla right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, so what exactly were you doin' in a small town place like that?"

"Well, me and Dru had our little things over there. At first, we went to get Angel because Dru was so sick."

"Ah, the blood of her sire to make her strong, right?"

"Yeah, it worked halfway and then Buffy came in and stopped us.."

"Buffy?"

"That was her name, the slayer."

"Oh.."

"Well, after that, Angel lost his soul, then he got it back...and na na na na. Kinda complicated." 

"I got that."

"But after that, something changed in me."

"What?"

"I don't know, it just happened. I started caring about her."

"…"

"I knew it was a doomed thing, but somehow didn't, you know what I mean?"

"Kinda."

"Well, after that, I got my soul and then-"

"Wait, you got a soul?"

"What? Oh yeah."

"How?"

"Too long of a tale to tell. Long story short, it's in me now."

"What good has it done?"

"I really don't know...it's done something different, that's for sure."

"Well, that's something new at least."

"Well, after that, I died, saving the world from the Apocalypse. And then came back here."

"What an adventure."

"I'll say."

"What happened to the slayer? Were you ever reunited with her?"

"No."

"What happened? Did she die?"

"No, she…lived. But…I dunno.." 

"I get it, you don't have to say anymore."

"Well, what about your life?"

"Well," Sair started, "Me and Lucia lived happily for awhile after you left, we moved to New York and started our business there too. Well, after that, you know. Dorian came in."

"Yeah," Spike said, "But how did you live after..you know?"

"Dorian took me in a couple weeks after. He just came in, killed Lucia, and then left. We grieved for awhile-"

"We?"

"Me, Arien, and Ni."

"Who?"

"Vampires me and Lucia turned after you left. They have and I'm pretty sure always been honest workers. They took care of the business for a little while after Lucia was killed. But I dunno where they are now."

"Oh, so what happened to the demon business?"

"Dorian somehow stole all the papers to it afterwards. Bastard probably snuck in. When I found out he had the business funds and stuff, I immediately went after him. Bad move I guess.."

Spike stopped walking, "What happened?"

Sair stopped as well and sighed, "I made a deal with him."

"What kind of deal?"

"At first, it sounded so simple, but then it was more and more complicated. He promised to keep the business going, using the funds for mostly good and he ensured Arien and Ni enough money for them to lead happy lives. But…"

"But?"

"But I had to stay with him. It was that, or the whole thing would be lost. That was the catch. I knew Lucia wouldn't have wanted that, everything she ever worked for taken by someone so easily. So I did. I stayed with him.

At first, it was simple. I would just tag along when I could, listening to his ramble and everything. Then something happened…..he told me something that pissed me off. I don't remember what it was, but I was really ticked. I attacked him and then he came close to staking me."

"What?" Spike asked.

"He put his sword into my chest. Really close to my heart and it hurt. It took me three weeks to recover. After that, there wasn't respect. It was fear in me. 

Time after time, we fought and it all ended the same. Dorian was always stronger than me, he always won. That's how I got the way I was, I followed all that he said from fear of him."

Spike was silent for a moment.

"So now you know," Sair finished as she started walking again.

"Yeah," he said as he started walking too, "I'm kinda wishin' that I didn't though."

"Well," was all the young vampire could say, "But now…it's better. You're here, and everything can work out."

Spike smiled, "Yeah."

Sair smiled back and jumped over to a nearby rooftop, "C'mon!"

The vampire smiled and was ready to jump when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"You vampires and your little quirks."

Spike turned around, not surprised much to see Dorian.

The immortal smiled, "You jump rooftops for fun?"

Spike stared him down, "What the hell do you want?"

Dorian shrugged, "A lot of things, but you see. To get something, you must always get something else first, that's why I'm here."

"You want Sair."

Dorian said nothing, but just kept the glint in his eye as he unsheathed his sword from his cane. 

Spike stood at ready for any attack that might have come his way. 

"Spike!" Sair yelled from the rooftop behind him.

"Run Sair! Go back to Angel!" 

"No! I'm not leaving you to fight him!"

"Go!"

Spike told her to go just before Dorian's sword came swinging down upon him. He rolled to the right and buried his fist in Dorian's gut. Thus, the battle began. 

Sair watched as Spike and Dorian exchanged blows across the way from her. Not wanting to leave her brother, she ran and leapt off of the roof she was on. Her temporary flight would have been smooth, if not for a person tackling her in mid-air.

She fell against the wall to the alley below and then to the ground. After a groan and a sharp stab of pain in her head, she got up to see a woman.

She was tall, wearing all black leather, fangs bared and ready to fight. Her long black hair spilled over her shoulders in many curls, making her look all the more fearsome.

Sair got to her feet, "And just who are you?"

The vampire said nothing, instead, she just hissed and leapt for the younger vampire. 

Sair dodged and pushed the woman roughly to the ground, "Good enough introduction for me."

The woman got up and landed a back-fist across Sair's cheek. The younger vampire retaliated by kicking her foe in the stomach, and landing an uppercut on her chin, sending the vampire flying into a nearby dumpster.

Sair was about to finish the woman off, but she heard an all to familiar yell, followed by Dorian's own yell to the vampire she was fighting.

"Mina! Come!" he ordered from the rooftop, "We've got what we want! Let's go!"

Without a word of protest, Mina, got up from the ground and jumped onto the walls, then to the rooftop. 

"No!" Sair yelled as she repeated these motions and landed on the top of the building.

She saw Dorian with a smirk on his face and a bloodied sword in hand. She looked to Mina, who held her brother in her arms. Spike's eyes were closed and for a moment, she thought he was dead.

As if reading her thoughts, Dorian spoke.

"Don't worry, we're just going to borrow him for awhile!"

"You take another step away and I'll gut you where you stand," Sair replied angrily.

"Oh, I'm so scared by your words," the immortal said in sarcasm, "But I really think you should be afraid."

"And why is that?"

"Just look at the horizon."

Sair looked and saw the early light coming. Oh no, dawn was coming soon.

"Yeah," Dorian said, "So now, my advice to you is, run fast."

And with that, he laughed. 

Sair watched in horror as Mina transformed into what must've been a hundred bats, enveloping Dorian and her brother, and carrying them off faster than anything.

The young vampire looked at the coming dawn with fright and backed up a few steps, hitting something with her foot. 

It was Spike's phone! Sair remembered seeing her brother calling the vampire named Angel a few times on it, it must've fallen out of his pocket.

She picked it up and went through the directory as she ran to the edge of the rooftop and jumped to the one across, hoping to outrun the sunlight. As she ran, she found a number labeled 'Peaches', that was the only one that was there and Sair hoped it wasn't a number to one of her brother's girlfriends. She hit the call button as she jumped another rooftop.

It rang, one….two….click.

"What is it Spike?" came the distinctive vampire's voice on the other line.

"Angel! It's Sair!" the young vampire spoke into the phone, "Help!"

"Help? Help what? What's wrong?"

"Me and Spike were walking, we got into a tussle with Dorian and he took Spike away!" Sair said as she looked back at the deadly sun about to rise, "And now, the sun's gonna come up!!"

"Sair! I want you to listen to me," Angel said, "Find a dark alley, dark enough for you to stay for awhile."

"Right," the young vampire said as she looked down in between the two buildings she just crossed, "Found one."

"Go into it," the other vampire told her.

Sair obeyed and dropped down swiftly into the alley beneath her and going into the darkest corner there was, "I'm in it now."

"Okay look, I need you to keep on the phone alright? I'm gonna send someone to get you," Angel told her.

"But Spike-they took away Spike.." the young vampire almost cried.

"He'll be fine, when we find you, we'll find him okay?"

"Alright…" 

"Stay hidden and be safe. Someone will be there soon," and with that, Angel hung up the phone.

Sair cringed as the first rays of sun peeked out on the side of the alley and hoped that they would get here in time.

Damn….that was a long chapter wasn't it? Please review!


	10. Capture

Ch. 19

Spike awoke in a bright room, lit by the many torches that hung on the walls. He looked around, it was very big and wide, and somehow reminded him of a cathedral. But he didn't find any pews or priests, luckily enough. 

The vampire tried to move, but found his wrists were chained to either side of him like wings to the wall he was against, and his feet chained together, making it difficult to stand. He found his jacket was gone, but he was all otherwise unharmed. 

He remembered everything and he wondered if Sair had suffered the same fate he had, but then he wondered why _was_ he here if Dorian wanted Sair in the first place?

"You like the place?" an all too familiar voice said in front of him.

Spike lifted his head to see Dorian.

"Surprise, surprise," Spike said, "Whenever there's something creepy, Dorian's there. I'm beginning to think of you as predictable."

"If you did, I would take you by surprise just to spite you," the immortal replied.

"Better keep on my toes then," the vampire replied, "So why the hell am I here?"

"I would tell you, but then that'd take all the fun out of it," Dorian replied as he walked forward, his hands behind his back, "Anyways, how are you?"

"I'm chained to a wall and you knocked me out earlier. I'm just peachy."

"Well that's good," the immortal said as he took out a blue pen from his pocket, "Because I wanna talk to you."

"What?" Spike asked, eyeing the pen, "What're you gonna do? Kill me with a Bic pen?"

"No, I'm just going to talk your ear off. After two-hundred plus years of going to dinner parties where all they talk about is the latest fashions, economy and such; that, in my eyes, is the biggest kind of pain there is."

"Well, you'd be right." 

"I know."

"And besides, I want to show you something I find very amusing," Dorian said as he came forward and uncapped the writing utensil.

He went to Spike's left arm and drew two neat lines. One horizontal, one vertical, the shape of a cross.

At first, the vampire thought nothing of it, but then began to feel a slight burning, then a searing pain. The drawn cross was having the same effect as a wooden one!

Spike growled in pain until the inked skin burned away, alleviating the pain temporarily, but still leaving a horrid sting in its' wake.

Dorian took a step back to see the grimace on the vampire's face, "Now, you see, I'm always amused by it every time."

Spike said nothing, but was grabbed roughly by the face by Dorian's hand. He tried to struggle, but the immortal had already hastily drawn another cross on his cheek, the pain searing itself into his face.

Spike wanted to yell out in pain, but he didn't want to give Dorian the satisfaction of it so he bit his lip.

Dorian stepped back for a moment, "You're pretty strong, I'll give you that."

The immortal drew another cross on Spike's hand, neck and inner elbow, before he decided to put the pen away, "I think that's enough for now."

Spike started to chuckle, "I thought you wanted to talk my ear off?"

"That comes now, I wanted to have my fun first," Dorian said as he leaned forward towards Spike's drooping head, "I'm going to share something with you. Something no one knows."

"Oh gee, I'm bloody honored." 

"You should be, because in the end, what you know, you won't be able to tell in time."

"The hell you talkin' about?"

"All that bullshit about me wanting a world full of vampires and immortals, it's all smoke and mirrors. Just to throw you all off."

"What?"

Dorian smirked as he walked away a bit, seemingly admiring the décor of the bland place, "Yes, it would be quite the vision in itself, but impossible. For when there are vampires, there is a need for meals. With humans gone, what would they turn to?"

"Then why did you tell Sair all of that crap? That vampires can live without feeding?"

"Because it's technically true. I mean, she lived for I think about twenty-two years with only…." Dorian paused as he did the math, "Fifty meals at max."

Spike pulled at his chains, "You bastard! She could've died!"

"Only if I killed her, which I can't."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh physically, yes I could. But the question is, would I want to?"

A look of confusion crossed Spike's face.

Dorian walked back towards the restrained vampire, "You see, I have a great underlying plan, one that was set into motion a very long time ago, and now, forty years later, it's about to have the great finale."

Dorian moved closer to Spike, looking him in the eye, "And your part in the plan, as well as your little 'sister's' as you refer to her, will be the most important."

"Go to hell!" Spike yelled as he vamped out and lunged for Dorian. Successfully biting down on the immortal's arm that was raised to defend himself. 

The vampire could only get a gulp of blood before Dorian ripped his arm away and rewarded Spike with a punch in the face for his efforts to hurt him.

Spike laughed as he saw the gaping wound heal quickly before his eyes to look as if nothing had ever happened.

"You first," was all that the immortal would say before he stormed off and disappeared, leaving the vampire confused and worried of what was to happen.

Sair cringed as the sunlight got closer and closer overhead. Already, the shadows were receding, making it harder for her to keep away from the deadly rays. She kept crouched in the corner, the sun taking away her strength with every passing minute.

'Dammit,' she thought, 'I'll die before they get here!'

Her shoe was in the sunlight and started to smoke, Sair yelled in pain and tried to sink back into the shadow as much as she could. The young vampire felt a blackness come around her, near passing out. She was going to die here.

Just as she closed her eyes, she heard a screeching of tires and the distinctive click of car doors. Shoes hitting the ground at a fast pace and someone say, "Get me the blanket!" told her Angel's people had finally come for her.

She opened her eyes to see the man that wanted to kill her earlier at Angel's place when she first arrived. Spike had called him something, what was it?

"Weasel.." the young vampire said tiredly, trying to confirm it.

The guy seemed to laugh at what I said to him, "Spike calls me that. My names' Wesley, Angel sent me."

"Good…" was Sair's only reply.

"You're going to be alright Sair," Wesley told her as a black guy came forth with a blanket in hand. He took the blanket, and covered Sair with it. The next thing the vampire felt was immediate relief, she was getting her strength back in the safe darkness the blanket provided. 

She was lifted up by two pairs of strong hands and carried somewhere. She heard the car doors click again and was gently put down on some cushion. Sair kept her head underneath the blanket until the man named Wesley said, "You can take it off now."

The young vampire obeyed, slowly pushing it away from her face, she looked about her. They were in a car, no, not a car, a limousine. The windows were tinted so dark that no sunlight came in, making it safe for the vampire to free herself of the blanket, which she did.

She sat up and looked at the two who were sitting opposite her in the vast car.

"Good thing you came when you did," she said finally.

"It took us awhile to track the phone, but it all turned out in the end didn't it?" the black guy spoke up.

"And you are?" Sair asked.

"Charles Gunn, just call me Gunn for short."

"Oh, well thanks, both of you," the vampire replied, nodding in appreciation and then realized that Spike was still missing, "We need to find Spike!"

"Angel has started a few new searches on it, they're looking for possible leads on where Dorian could've taken Spike, don't worry-"

"How can I not worry?" Sair cut in, "Spike's out there somewhere, with Dorian of all people! You don't know what Dorian's capable of! He'll kill him!"

"Sair! We need you to calm down!" Gunn ordered her and when she finally did he asked, "Do you know of any possible places Dorian could've taken Spike?"

The vampire quieted down in thought, pulling ancient memories out in her mind, trying to find something. Then it hit her.

"There's this one place…." she trailed.

"Where? What is it?" Wesley asked as he sat forward. 

"An old place...Dorian used to take me there. It's the remains of a cathedral, at least when we went. He said he really liked it and he hoped to die there someday, it was just his stupidity showing I guess…"

Wesley and Gunn looked at each other and then back to the vampire.

"Do you think you could lead us there?" Wesley asked her.

Sair hesitated, but then nodded, "I think I could."

"I'll tell Angel," Gunn said as he produced a cell phone and held it to his ear after he dialed a number. 

Wesley turned to the front of the limo and told the driver to follow all directions that the girl said.

"Which direction do you think we should go?" he asked Sair.

The vampire looked out the window.

"No need," she said as she pointed outside, "There it is."

Hey, this was fun wannit? I gotta another ch. Comin up soon for those that are confused as to what happened to Dorian so NEVER FEAR!!!! Please review!!


	11. The Whole Story

Ch.20

Angel was somewhat startled by his phone ringing because his office had been silent for over a half an hour. But now the phone rang relentlessly. The vampire picked it up and was somewhat surprised to hear Gunn on the other line.

"Angel, we've got Sair."

"Good, is she alright?" Angel asked.

"She's fine, but no trace of Spike. Sair thinks she knows where Dorian took him though," the lawyer said.

"Where?"

"It's a-hold on a minute Angel."

The vampire waited on hold until Gunn came back on the line.

"We've found it."

"What?"

"We found the place where Sair thinks Dorian took Spike to. Should we go in?"

"No, come back here so we can plan this out."

"Will do," the lawyer said as he hung up the phone.

Angel did the same and was trying to think of their next move when Fred came walking into his office with an armful of papers. She came in and set them all down immediately, Angel just looked at them dumbfounded.

"What's all this Fred?" the vampire asked, indicating to the papers.

"Okay," the scientist said as she regained her composure from the news she had, "So far, we've just heard bits and pieces of the history behind Dorian and Mina, well now I've got the whole thing."

"Tell me then."

"Alright." she took a breath to calm herself, "Dorian was really born sometime in the early to mid 1800s. He lived until he was in his early twenties when the picture came in."

"Picture?"

"Dorian used to sit for portraits made by a painter named Basil Hallward. According to one of the entries in the painters' original diary," she held up a small leather bound journal, "He said that Dorian was so distraught upon learning that he was going to get old and lose his beauty, that he wished that the painting could age, and he wouldn't."

"So, in essence, the painting would take all the age from Dorian, keeping him youthful and alive."

"Yes, and in this case, immortal."

"But by a wish?"

"That's exactly what I looked up next," the girl searched through her papers, "Now apparently, Wolfram & Hart used to buy Basil's paintings for pretty good money back then and would receive a few with Dorian. They cast a spell on the canvas Dorian was painted on, giving him immortality."

"Ah."

"Unfortunately, Dorian didn't go through the plans Wolfram &Hart had for him-"

"That's surprising."

"Yeah, instead he killed Basil Hallward and fled to London where he lived in secret, keeping his painting with him."

"Why'd he do that?"

"He found out what the Senior Partners did to the canvas and he knew that they would destroy it first chance they got."

"Oh."

"Dorian lived in secret for awhile until a man named James M. Moriarty sought him out."

"And just what did he want with Dorian?"

"His help," Fred answered, "He wanted Dorian to join him in his quest for great profits made from weapons he would make for the upcoming war he was trying to cause with the whole world."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Angel said as he sat forward and plucked the picture of James from her folder and studied it for a moment, "So you're saying that this guy wanted to create World War I just so he could get a profit?"

"Yes."

Angel shrugged, "Okay, go on."

"He wanted to sell weapons that no one had to the opposing countries. He created a plan to get them, but he needed Dorian's help."

"Why?"

"I'm going to get to that. Dorian declined the professor's offer and retreated back to his home in London, but when he did, he found that the professor had stolen his painting. The one with his aging portrait."

"There's a twist."

"James threatened to destroy the painting and Dorian thought this was the only thing keeping him from death and life so he agreed to help."

By now, Fred was pacing the office in her frantic explanation and recounts.

"They assembled the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, containing seven members. Captain Nemo, who had amazing scientific discoveries and technology. Tom Sawyer, who had amazing marksmanship. Dr. Henry Jekyll, who had a formula that could transform him into a super-powered beast named Hyde. Alan Quatermain, who also had amazing marksmanship and hunting skills. Rodney Skinner, who was completely invisible and could be stealthy. And then there was Mina Harker the vampire and Dorian Gray."

"So what happened?"

"Dorian was set with them on a fake mission."

"Why?"

"So Dorian could collect what James needed from them to make his weapons. Mina's blood to create more vampires because she refused to do so herself, Jekyll's potion for more beasts, pictures of Nemo's ship to replicate more for battle uses, and Skinner's skin to make invisible assassins. All the while, the people never knew what was going on."

"I see," Angel said as he leaned back, "That would make for one hell of an army, even now."

"Exactly. James wanted the profit from the arms he could sell, if he could do it, he would've made billions of dollars."

"But let me guess….something went array?"

"Yes, the League found out about it and took out the whole factory that was producing these things."

"What happened to Dorian? To James and the rest of them?"

"Well, James was killed by Tom Sawyer before he could escape the place. Alan Quatermain was killed in action."

"And Dorian?"

"The vampire, Mina, thought that she had killed Dorian by showing him the painting of himself, but it just ended up as a very big piece of torture for him."

"What?"

"Dorian had to feel the pain of the portrait, it killed him in a sense, but that didn't override his immortality."

"What about Mina? What connection does she have with Dorian other than she tried to kill him?"

"Umm…well the two were lovers at one time."

"Oh, do you think that's why Dorian was after her in the first place?"

"A lost romance? Who knows? He could have a thousand reasons, but he most likely isn't after her anymore."

Angel leaned back in his chair, "So we fast-forward to now. Dorian stole a whole high-ranking business, kidnapped and brainwashed the only heir, and now he has Spike?"

"That's basically it in a nutshell," Fred said as she sat down in fatigue.

"Now, the question is, what does Dorian want with Spike?"

"I don't know."

Angel thought for a moment, "This is tough, we'll have to wait until Wes and Gunn come back with Sair to figure out a plan."

"They found her?" the scientist said as she got up from her seat.

"Yeah, we'll need all the help we can get at this point to save Spike. Fred, do you think you can find anything that can bind Dorian?"

"Why?"

"Because Sair claims that she knows where he's holding Spike."

"Oh, I can go check."

"Go ahead and do that," the vampire ordered and stood up, this was getting more and more complicated.


	12. Plan Of Action

Ch.21

Heydioh reviewers! And viewers! Sorry it took me awhile to write, my mom is an internet fiend!!! Anywho, enjoy the fic!

Angel tested out his broad sword freely with a few strikes dealt to the air, measuring the feel that he'd missed for awhile, but wasn't too surprised to hear Sair's cries coming towards his door.

"What the hell are you doin'? We've got to save Spike dammit!!" she yelled.

"Angel wanted us back here for a reason-" the CEO heard Wesley say.

"I don't give a damn about Angel! Spike needs us!!"

With that, the door was opened roughly to reveal Sair being practically dragged by Wesley and Gunn.

They both let her go and she stumbled forward towards Angel's desk, then turned to face her escorts.

"Screw you then!" she yelled.

"Sair!" Angel yelled and she turned towards him, "What's going on?"

"We shouldn't be here!" she yelled frustrated, but then caught glance of the sun outside, "Ahh!!"

She dived behind a chair and then realized, "Hey, how come you're not bursting into flame?"

"Special windows," Angel dismissed quickly, "Now what were you saying?"

The young vampire stood up and resumed her fury, "We should be saving Spike! There's no telling what Dorian will do to him!!"

"Sair, keep in mind, it is an hour before sunset. How do you suppose we save Spike if we're ash? And remember, these windows can't follow us outside," the older vampire retorted.

At this, the girl fell silent.

"Second of all," Angel started, "We need to have a plan of attack, we don't want to go in there unawares and get Spike, as well as ourselves, killed."

"….alright! You're right there," the young vampire admitted, "So what's the plan of action?"

"I was kinda hopin' that you could help me out on that one."

"How?"

"Well for starters, you know the place right?"

"Yeah a bit."

"Then help us out here."

"Oh," the vampire said, "Ummm….I got it! Can you guys get a blue-print of the place?"

"I remember the address," Gunn spoke up, "I'll go look it up."

He left, and within a few minutes returned with the desired printout. Everyone crowded around Angel's desk as the lawyer laid the blueprint upon it.

The picture depicted a very round room, very wide and a few back rooms, but that was it.

"Looks a bit weird for a building," Angel commented as he looked at it.

"Originally, it was suppose to be a cathedral, but the developers decided to not go through with it last minute," Gunn explained.

"So it would most likely be empty?" Wesley questioned.

"Probably."

Sair went up to the plan and pointed to the center of the building , the round room, "There, he's holding Spike there."

"How do you know?" Angel asked, looking up at her, "It'd be easier just to hide him in one of these back rooms.."

"Look," Sair said as she pointed to the sides of both rooms on the diagram, "They have windows. Dorian took Spike near dawn, why would he just let him burn up?"

"Because he hates him?"

"Well, there's that, but I know Dorian. He wouldn't just give Spike death, he'd most likely torture him first and he doesn't have any quick methods," Sair explained, "It's obvious that he won't kill Spike until I'm there."

"Why is that?" Wesley asked.

"Because Dorian has no need for him."

"Then what does he want?" Gunn queried.

"Me," Sair said.

"Why does he want you? And how did you come to that conclusion?" Wesley asked.

"There could be a thousand reasons about why he wants me, as for the other question, think about it. He could've just killed Spike and be done with it, but he didn't, because he wanted to lure me in," the young vampire answered.

"Well, whatever the case be, we're gonna get Spike out of there," Angel said, "We can get the Special Ops team out there and-"

"No!" Sair said suddenly.

"What?"

"You can't just have your lackeys' storm in there! Dorian would do away with them in a second!" the young vampire explained, "He's an immortal, and with the vampire that was with him, it'd be like sending your men to their deaths!"

Angel contemplated this, she was right, but then how were they suppose to rescue Spike and do away with Dorian?

"Wait a minute," Gunn broke in, "You said Dorian and the vampire that's with him. Who exactly?"

"I dunno," Sair said, straining to remember, "I think he called her….Mina! That's it! He shouted to her when he caught Spike."

The three others in the room exchanged worried glances.

"What?" the younger vampire asked.

"Mina is…" Wesley started but trailed off.

"Mina's an old vampire that Dorian hired us originally to find," Angel quickly explained.

"Oh…" Sair trailed, "Well, she's pretty powerful, but you guys'll be able to handle her in a snap."

"How do you figure that?" Gunn asked.

"Well, I got in a tussle with her for a few minutes and was gainin' the advantage just as Dorian told her to leave with him. If I can beat her up that easy, than you guys'll be fine."

"That's great," Angel said as he looked down at the blueprint, "Alright, so how do we attack?"

"We could use the roof," Wesley suggested.

"Or maybe the side entrances-" Gunn said.

"Maybe through a back exit?" Angel tried.

"Why not through the front door?" Sair said.

All three of them looked up at her, "What?"

"What?" she asked, "It's simple, easy, and Dorian wouldn't expect it."

"To use the main entrance?" Wesley asked.

"Exactly, I mean, if you were in his position, what would you think?"

Wesley thought for a moment, "To barricade the back entrances."

"Exactly."

"Damn she's pretty good for a thirteen year old vampire," Fred said from the doorway of Angels' office.

They all turned towards her.

"Um, Angel, I think I may have a binding spell," the scientist said as she walked in all the way.

"What?" Wesley asked.

"A binding spell for Dorian, maybe we can actually stop him since he can't be killed," Angel informed his comrade.

"Oh…"

"Well, it's not easy, but it's pretty simple compared to others," Fred started as she laid down the scroll she had in hand on the desk, "It would banish Dorian to a non-dimension."

"A what?" Sair asked.

"Basically a deserted dimension that has nothing there. Called 'non' meaning nothing."

"Ah."

"If I can follow through the chant well enough, this might just be the end of Mr. Dorian Gray."

"And it's full-proof?" Sair asked, "He won't be able to get out will he?"

"As far as I know, no."

"Somehow that's not really comforting me."

"Alright," Angel broke in, "Fred and Wes, you guys can get on that chant as soon as we get in, do it as fast as you can. Gunn will work on finding and freeing Spike."

"And what of you and me?" Sair spoke.

"We fight off Dorian and Mina as best as we can."

"Good enough for me," the young vampire agreed.

Angel turned to his weapons' wall, took down a katana, and threw it to Sair who caught it reflexively and held it at ready. Then he took down a broad sword for himself, and an axe for Gunn.

He looked to Wesley and Fred, who nodded and Fred produced a handgun out of her knapsack.

The vampire nodded and looked out the window, it was already sunset.

"Let's go."

Oooohhhhhh……WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN?!? YOU DON'T KNOW DO YOU?!!?! Sorry it took so long, but I wanted it to be nice and wonderful for you readers out there!


	13. Storming the Fortress

Ch.22

Disclaimer: People kept whining that I never had one of these so I finally got one. I don't own Angel or any of its' characters except for Sair cause she's my original character. And I do not own Dorian or Mina or any of Bram Stoker or Oscar Wilde's characters either…..I know, pretty sad eh?

Author's note: Hey again! New updates! Finally, some new action, I promise you….BLOOD WILL BE SHED! Okay…..never mind that I'm slightly psychotic. Anywho, to all of my reviewers! I THANK YOU!!!

Imzadi-Yes, Lindsey and Dorian going "Fear our sexiness!!!" would be wonderful to see wouldn't it?

Krisian- Thanks for the funny stories thus far!! Very inspirational as to Dorian singing and such! J

(oh and by the by, I haven't updated in a bit cause I had to move and couldn't get my computer up and running for awhile…Thanks for your patience!)

It was well after dusk that the whole crew reached the place Dorian was keeping Spike hostage. They approached the big building cautiously, and Angel stopped them from going any further.

"Everyone know the plan?" he asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Good," he said as he turned in the direction of the grand door before them, "Let's go then."

Spike woke up from his slumber. During the daylight hours, he had drifted into an odd type of slumber, going in and out. It was automatic in him.

He shook his head from the grogginess that sleep had given him after he woke up and looked around. Still in the same room, nope, wasn't a dream. The vampire tried his restraints once more and again found that he could not break them.

"Why do you try in vain so much?" he heard Dorian say as the immortal rounded the staircase on his right, "It never does you any good in the end."

Spike just stared at him.

"Well, not much of a morning person are we?" the immortal taunted with a grin as he walked closer, adjusting little things on his gray suit as he went and withdrawing a gold pen from his coat pocket, "Well, early dusk really."

"The others will come for me," Spike told him, "Sair will come for me."

"Oh I have no doubt about that," Dorian replied easily as he uncapped the pen and drew a cross on the vampire's arm, "I'm actually counting on it."

"What?" Spike said before the pain seared into his skin, smoking and sizzling, he yelled in pain as the immortal drew a cross on his right cheek, forehead, neck, and inner elbow as well.

Gray just smirked at his hostage vampire in pain as he looked above to the top of the grand staircase that met up at the top, "Mina?"

Ignoring the pain as much as he could, Spike craned his neck up as far as he could and saw a beautiful young woman up at the landing. She wore a black leather ensemble that completely covered her save for her hands, neck, and head. Her red hair spilled out in curly and astray tresses over her shoulders and back.

"Mina," Dorian called calmly again as he put away his pen.

The woman replied by hissing and showing her fangs, before taking a giant leap off of the stairs and landing a few feet away from Spike.

"She's a vampire," the blond haired vampire said, still in pain.

"Yes, exactly," Dorian said as he went over to Mina and brushed away a few errant locks of hair away from her shoulders, "I'm going to need to make it as genuine as possible a fight to the death."

"What?" Spike said in surprise. What did he mean, as genuine as possible?

Dorian just smirked at him as he unsheathed his sword from his cane, "Now, if I'm right in what I've been sensing for the past half hour is correct, your friends should arrive right about…now."

And with that, the entrance doors were violently thrown open by two all too familiar and snarling vampires.

"Sair!" Spike yelled, "Angel!"

Dorian turned around, "Well, well, well, what a surprise. You must forgive the mess, I didn't expect company."

"Just shut up Dorian," Angel seethed, fangs bared.

Fred, Wesley, and Gunn followed into the building with axes and guns ready.

"Well, it seems we have some rude guests," Dorian said to Mina, who was currently hissing at the forceful newcomers, "Isn't this nice?"

"Dorian, you won't live to see tomorrow," Sair told him, her voice dripping with malice and anger, her right hand gripping a katana tightly.

"You know, I highly doubt that," the immortal sarcastically said as he twirled his sword idly, "But I would like to see you try nevertheless."

And with that, he stabbed his sword through the left side of Spike's chest.

"NO!" Sair yelled as she unsheathed her katana and charged.

Dorian ripped his sword out of the blond vampire's chest and readied for an attack.

"Mina! Go!" he ordered as he jumped back, avoiding a slash from Sair's weapon and parrying.

"Everyone! Go!" Angel yelled, "Fred! Wes! Get working! Gunn! Get Spike!"

Thus the battle began.

Authors note: Okay, I know you guys are probably real pissed at me for making it so short compared to my other chapters, but I promise you, IT WAS ALL FOR THE BEST!! And also, I couldn't type for awhile cause I had to move and my computer was out of service…..wah. Anywho, thanks to all the people who waited patiently….only to be pissed off now! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Anywho, (which is my favorite word today) there will be a very good chapter coming up for you I promise! Thanks again!


	14. A Fight Begun

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, or "Angel" characters sadly enough. I only own Sair the character and any other original names mentioned and if anyone steals the names or characters…I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN!!!…so be nice and don't steal kay?

Ch.23

Spike painfully opened his eyes. Was he dead? He looked and saw a battle raging around him. Angel had just tackled Mina, protecting Fred and Wesley from her, Gunn was making his way around the woman vampire, trying to get somewhere, and Sair was viciously fighting Dorian.

No, he wasn't dead, just in a great deal of pain.

His chest burned as if it were on fire and sparks of misery shot through his entire body. Spike could barely lift his head up it hurt so much, he shut his eyes in pain.

'Dorian must've missed my heart by a centimeter or two,' Spike thought, 'He did to me what he did to Sair before. But why didn't he kill me?'

Dorian dodged another slash dealt by Sair and parried her sword with his own. He stepped forward and slashed at her left side, which she easily avoided and readied for another attack.

"You really think you can beat me?" Dorian taunted as they circled each other, "You couldn't before, you won't in the present, just face the facts."

"That was then," the young vampire said as she gripped her sword, "This is now."

She leapt for Dorian with a downward slash that was met with the immortal's sword, then rolled to the right, successfully cutting him across his right cheek with an upward slash. Sair jumped away before Dorian had a chance to stab her with his own sword and watched as the wound on his face healed before her eyes.

Dorian rubbed his cheek that had just healed, "Hey, that itched."

Sair said nothing before she darted forward and resumed the battle.

Meanwhile, Angel was having a tough time himself, trying to keep Mina at bay. The woman vampire was fighting fiercely as if her life depended on it. Angel slashed at her many times, but all were unsuccessful as the other vampire was more agile, landing blows faster than he could react.

While Angel was getting beaten up, Mina would try and use the spare moments she got to try and attack Fred and Wesley, who were rapidly trying to perform the chant, but so far were unsuccessful in completing it.

Just as Mina punched Angel in the head, knocking him a good distance away and sending his broad sword clattering to the ground, she jumped towards Fred and Wesley. Gunn jumped into her path, but was knocked away like a useless rag doll by the woman vampire. Mina ran and snatched the scroll with the incantation on it away from Fred's hands. Jumping away ten yards, safely out of reach.

"Angel!" Fred yelled to the vampire that just barely got to his feet, this fight was draining him, "The scroll!"

"I'll get it!" Gunn said as he readied his axe, back on his feet, but Angel stopped him.

"No," the vampire ordered, "You get Spike, he's still alive."

The lawyer nodded and went rushing off into the direction of the badly wounded, blond vampire as Angel vamped out, a surge of strength rushing to him.

"I'll take care of this," he said, looking at the hissing Mina and withdrawing a wooden stake from his sleeve.

He leapt forward, as did Mina, and the furious bout started up again.

"Spike!"

Leave me alone…I'm tired.

"Spike!"

Shut up.

"Spike! Wake up!"

The blond vampire opened his eyes wearily to see Gunn looking at him with intense concern.

"Gunn?" Spike asked, but pain seared through his body, cutting off all other possibilities of speech.

"I'm gonna get you out of here," Gunn said as he raised his axe and made it come down upon the chain holding Spike's right arm.

The vampire fell limply a bit when his arm was freed, and the lawyer cut the chains about his feet.

"Where's….Sair?" Spike weakly asked, screwing his eyes shut from the unearthly pain.

"Taking care of Dorian," Gunn answered as cut the last chain, holding the vampire's left arm.

"What?" Spike said. Sair was fighting Dorian?

"C'mon," Gunn said as he took the vampire's right arm over his shoulder and practically dragged him aside from the battle, but with great difficulty.

"No…Sair," Spike protested with all of his remaining strength, what little he had left. He had feeling that something bad was going to happen, and he didn't want to guess what it was.

Sair jumped forward, sword aimed for Dorian's chest, but was tripped by the immortal's sudden side-step. She somersaulted in mid fall, rolled away safely to the right, and got to her feet, sword held at ready.

"You know, this is just getting boring," Dorian said, "Perhaps we should schedule this for another time? Maybe when you're not so uninteresting a fighter?"

"Oh really?" Sair said as she jumped high in the air, did a half twist and landed behind Dorian.

He barely had a chance to react, before she sliced his head off cleanly from his shoulders.

Mina had just landed another blow across Angel's cheek and kicked him in the chest, sending him skidding back a few feet. This was just getting more and more difficult by the minute.

Angel dodged another kick aimed for his head and took the open opportunity to snatch the scroll away from her left hand.

Turning quickly, he yelled, "Fred! Wes!"

He threw the scroll right before Mina tackled him from behind, bringing them both down to the ground.

The ancient piece of paper flew through the air and fell into the awaiting hand on Wesley. He immediately unrolled it and started up the incantation again.

Meanwhile, Angel was having a rough time with Mina. She had disarmed him of his stake, turned him onto his back, and was now pummeling him with a barrage of punches to his face. Finally, she retrieved his stake from the side and raised it high above her head in her right hand. Angel was feeling too much pain to stop her.

All of a sudden, someone pulled her off of him and threw her across the room with amazing strength. Angel watched as Mina went flying into an opposite wall and crashed down.

He quickly got to his feet, "Wes! Fred! Get working on that incantation!"

He then turned to whoever had just thrown Mina off, "Thanks….Sair?"

The young vampire smiled at him.

"But how…?" he asked.

"Dorian's dead," Sair told him.

"Sair!" the two heard and turned in the direction of Gunn aiding Spike in walking over to them.

"Sair!" Spike repeated as he limped over and embraced her.

"Spike, I'm fine," the young vampire told said as she supported him, "I'm so glad you're alright. I thought Dorian killed you…"

"I'm okay, I'm just happy to see that you're okay."

Their moment of happiness was broken by a terribly familiar voice, "Well, not for long."

The two vampires looked towards the place where the body of Dorian did lie, only now it was standing, grotesquely picking up the cleanly severed head and settling it upon the neck of the body. Sair, Spike, and everyone else could only watch in disgusted astonishment at the whole thing.

Dorian's hands carefully put his head into place, aligning the broken pieces of spine carefully, and they all watched as the bloodied cut between the two severed pieces seemed to melt away and left unscarred skin in its' wake. Dorian's face seemed to animate suddenly as if it came to life, and he smirked at the whole group as he retrieved his sword from the floor.

"You know, for a moment there, you really had me," the immortal said with a grin, "You really made me think, I swear, a third of my life flashed before my eyes. But then I really thought about it and remembered….oh yeah, I'm an immortal!! Does that mean anything to you?! It means I cannot die! How in the blue flames of hell did you ever think that you killed me?"

Angel reacted first, "Fred! Wes! Start up that incantation! Now!"

"No!" Sair sternly ordered as she broke away from her embrace with Spike, "Dorian's mine."

"Sair, no. you will not-" Sipke started but was cut off by the younger vampire.

"You can't order me around anymore Spike. So don't try."

The blond vampire was helplessly silent as he leaned on Gunn's shoulder for lack of strength and watched as Sair walked up, sword at her side.

Dorian smiled at her, "Want another go then? Is that it?"

"Let's end this," Sair told him, "Here and now."

"My pleasure," the immortal said, still unmoving.

There was an eerie silence about them. Everyone held their eyes on the two fighters, all stuck with the suspense.

Dorian made the first move.

Author's note: Heeheheheeeheeeheehehehehehehehehehehe!!!!!! I love this one!! I actually tried in this one. Don't ya just love the beheading of Mr. Dorian? YET HE STILL PREVAILS!!!!! Okay, I'm gonna work hard on the next chappy, but seriously, lemme know what you people think!!!!!! Thank you!!


	15. A Fight Continued

Perfect Imbalance

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, or "Angel" characters sadly enough. I only own Sair the character and any other original names mentioned and if anyone steals the names or characters…I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN!!!…so be nice and don't steal kay?

Author's note: (takes a bow) I AM BACK!!!! This chapter has taken so long cause I worked my bloody ass off on it!! Meanwhile, BIG thanks goes to my reviewers!! I LOVE YOU ALL!! You know…as a friend….Okay, back to business!! But really, BIG BIG BIG BIGGGGGGGGGG!!!! Thanks to all of you guys! Welp, I'm off!!! Enjoy this chapter of Perfect Imbalance!!

Ch.24 (wow, twenty-four. Never thought I'd get this far)

Dorian made the first move.

He leapt forward with a devastating downward slice, Sair soundly met his own blow with a block, but when the two swords met, it seemed that there was more energy in between the two.

The vampire gritted her teeth as pain shot through both of her arms holding her weapon and she was forced to skid back a bit on the cold floor. Dorian merely bounced backed a little, Sair pushing him away. Everyone watching saw that Sair was winded, but by a single blow? Now was time to worry.

"Oh sorry," Dorian said with fake concern as he watched the young vampire regain her bearings, "Too rough? Well, I won't be going easy on you this time, last time I did, it rewarded me with a severed head. A performance I would not like you to repeat."

"Well this time," the young vampire growled, "You won't believe alive to see a repeat."

"Really?" the immortal jested, "Well, better get to it then. My death is not something one would want to miss, seeing as to how its' impossible and all."

Sair said nothing in reply, but charged forward quickly. She thrust her word to his stomach, but Dorian merely sidestepped and parried her blow, landing a very bad slash across the young vampire's back. Sair growled in pain as she turned around, but ignored the white hot flash, she was used to pain and this was no different, but somehow in the back of her mind, she felt it was.

The young vampire faced Dorian and lowered her sword to her side and quickly went through all the knowledge she had attained during these last two moves. He saw her attacks to quickly, slowly she devised a minute plan in her head, running through her next moves.

In a flash, she acted. Charging forward again, coming at breakneck speed. She saw Dorian smirk at what he thought to be a repeat of the last move, but then a look of surprise crossed his features when she jumped and rolled to his right side. The immortal turned, but not in time as he felt a slice go into his stomach, tearing cloth and skin in a moment.

Sair felt a smile of her own coming when she did this, but was stopped dead when Dorian's sword upwardly sliced her from stomach to chest. She fell back in pain, but rolled away before his sword could come down upon her again. The vampire came to a kneeling position a little ways away from her attacker and she grasped at the wound. It had gone deeper than she thought as she saw the blood seep through the cut.

But she didn't have any time to recover, for Dorian was already upon her. She parried his whistling sword, going for her left side and rolled forward to the right. Jumping up, Sair tried to cut Dorian across his leg, but her katana was stopped dead in its' path by the immortals'.

"Oh come on," he said as he stood above her, "Is that really all you have?"

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Sair yelled as she pushed away his sword and landed a punch squarely in his jaw.

But Dorian didn't even reel from it, instead, he attacked her with a barrage of blows. Left to right side, repeatedly and with more force than the one before it had. Sair blocked them all quickly, but her strength was draining from her each time their swords met. Finally, Dorian landed a very harsh blow against her feeble blocking and darted forward. The young vampire yelled in agony as he cut a cross into her cheek, the skin sizzling.

Sair yelled out and jumped back as she held her right cheek in hand. Her strength was draining from her, Dorian was wearing her out. At this rate, she would be an easy kill in a matter of minutes. The young vampire collected her reserve of strength and readied herself again. She was wavering, but she did not intend to fall.

The immortal darted forward again, but Sair slashed him across the face before he could get within striking range. He stepped back only once and the vampire watched as the cut healed instantly.

"Why can't you just except it?" Dorian asked her very somberly, "I'll win, you'll lose. I mean, I'm not even saying this for my own sake, but this is just getting downright pathetic."

"No," Sair denied shortly. She wasn't going to give in, even if her death was going to be the end, she would not see it soundly.

"Your choice," Dorian said as he shrugged and stood tensing, getting ready.

The next move was served.

The immortal swung his sword so fast that even the young vampire could not trail it with her quick eyes. All Sair felt was the painful entry of the sword into her stomach. It was unbearable. The hot pain shot through her like nothing before and she stopped dead in her tracks.

Dorian smiled as he pulled his sword out, only to stab the young vampire before him three more times in the gut. Finally, Sair fell onto the ground, her katana clattering to the side. The pain was too much, she felt as if she were on the brink of death again, and knew Dorian would gladly push her over the edge of it if she didn't defend herself, but she had no strength to now.

She saw the immortal above her raise his sword high over his head, getting ready to deliver the finishing blow. Oddly enough, a look of sadness crossed his face.

"Such a pity," were the only words he said before he came down with his weapon.

Sair closed her eyes. 'This is the end,' she thought.

(Author's note: Heehee. I almost made this into a chapter by itself, but I knew people would get mad at me and probably be all pissed off. Anyways, thank you for reading this much. NOW GO AND READ THE REST DAMMIT! Okay! On with the story!)

Ch.25

As Sair and Dorian fought. A concerned Spike watched. Even though his strength was diminishing, he knew that he wouldn't be able to stand by and watch Dorian pummel his young sister.

"I can't watch this," Spike said as he withdrew his arm from Gunn's shoulders and nearly fell over in the process, his legs were so weak he couldn't even stand.

Gunn picked him back up.

"Sair wanted us to stay here," Angel said, "So we stay."

"And let Dorian kill her?!" the blond vampire retorted, "Do anything! Jump in and help or start that incantation crap that you were telling Fred and Wesley to do, but do something!"

"No, she wants it to be her fight!" Angel said sternly.

"She's a child Angel! She won't be able to last much longer than this!"

This quieted the older vampire, and for a moment, the only noises made were from Sair and Dorian's swords meeting one another.

"Angel," Spike said, "Please…"

"Okay," the vampire decided and turned to Fred and Wesley, "Start the incantation, bind Dorian as best as you can."

"Will do," Wesley said as he unrolled the ancient text and he and Fred began to chant the words.

"Thanks," Spike said.

"It's fine," Angel said as he nodded, but then was suddenly tackled from behind by Mina.

"Angel!" Gunn yelled, ready to help the vampire.

Mina was about to attack again, but was caught by an uppercut to her face. Angel got back to his feet.

"I'm fine! Stay with Spike!" he yelled before going back into a fight that he thought he had already won.Meanwhile, Spike was looking towards the fight. Dorian had just scratched a cross into Sair's cheek and he practically felt the burn itself on his own, but he kept watching. The immortal was wearing the young vampire out and Spike knew it. That was basically, the only tactic to kill off a vampire, make it lose its' strength, then kill it when its' weak.

'C'mon,' the blond vampire urged her in his thoughts, 'Don't let him get you.'

He watched as more blows were dealt, Sair wavering, but planting her feet firmly. She managed a slash across the immortals' face, then Dorian said something. Spike's sensitive ears were able to pick it up.

"Why can't you just except it?" Dorian said, "I'll win, You lose. I mean, I'm not even saying this for my own sake, but this is just getting downright pathetic."

"No," Sair spoke.

Spike couldn't help but smile at the stubbornness of his sister, but then his smile faded as he heard what Doran said.

"Your choice."

A quake of fear and pain went through the blond haired vampire as he saw Dorian move too fast for Sair to counter, and buried his sword into her abdomen. He couldn't even amount any words to speak, for they died in his throat as his hope for Sair to beat the immortal did. Spike watched as Dorian stabbed the young vampire three more times and watched in horror at the sight of her fall to the ground, her sword clattering to the side.

He heard Dorian's words as he raised his sword over his head, "Such a pity."

Feeling a surge of his vampiric powers, Spike vamped out, fangs bared. Mustering up his last reserves of strength, he stood on his own and removed his arm from Gunn's shoulders.

"Spike!" the lawyer protested, but was roughly pushed away.

The blond vampire ran forward, yelling in fury and crossed the room. Immediately ignoring any pain he felt. With a surge of power, he jumped and tackled Dorian from the side, sending him and the immortal flying some twenty feet away from Sair.

Dorian was caught completely off-guard, and his sword went flying as he skidded across the floor. Spike fell onto the floor as well, but regained his footing quickly as the temporary strength he had was fading very quickly. The blond vampire knew he had to act quickly before Dorian could sap what little energy he had.

Stepping forward, he picked up the writhing Dorian by the back of his jacket, and landed a harsh blow into the immortal's gut. Repeating this eight times, and kneeing him in the face, Spike threw him against the closest wall. The immortal made a dent in it before falling down.

The blond vampire watched as Dorian made his way to his knees, breathing heavily from the last few blows.

"You think you can ruin this don't you?!" the immortal yelled at him as he got to his feet, the cuts made from the blows healing, "You have no idea what you're up against."

"Oh I think I got a pretty good idea," Spike said as he charged him again, jumping high into the air to land a forceful punch across Dorian's now smirking face, but was caught in the chest with the immortal's blade.

That was all that was needed. All his strength failed him in a mere instant as the sword pierced through his skin, like an automatic shut-off. Spike was roughly pulled off of the blade by Dorian's pushing hand and he felt hard onto the cold floor.

Spike felt his mind brimming the edge of consciousness. His body had been through too much in a single day, he couldn't keep up with the pain. He was dimly aware of Dorian walking towards him and barely heard his words.

"Now time for you to die, my thorn in my side!"

Spike fell unconscious.

Author's note: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Another cliffy!!!! Okay, in reality, I didn't want to type anymore and kept stopping at awkward places, so I had to decide on this part, so don't kill me!!! I garuntee that there'll be more to come though! BUT GIVE ME YOUR FEEDBACK PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!


	16. A Fight Ended

To My reviewers!

LotRseer3350- Her name's Sair, but that's a good name too. Sari! I'm gonna use that! And a wonderful request made, but you don't know what's gonna happen till you read it…(devilish laugh)

A. Lynne- Agh! Don't make Dorian attack me!! Don't worry, this or the next chapter should be the end…I think.

Krisian Rose- I know! Why can't Mina fight well?!?! (I dunno, I suppose my story's screwy) Don't worry, the end shall come soon (mwahahahahaha!!) Hrm..setting Gray aflame would be a wondrous thing to see, but then there's the whole fire department to deal with, and also vampire's dislike for fire….(I'm a pyro too, but I haveta think before I set stuff aflame but hooray for the 4th of July!!) And thank you for the compliment about the sword scenes, I thought they sucked….Welp, GO READ THE REST!!

Imzadi- I had thought of bringing the picture back, but didn't you read the other chapters? The picture's been destroyed for the last hundred years! There's only one way to kill Mr. Gray…..mwahahhahahahaha!!!

Perfect Imbalance

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, or "Angel" characters sadly enough. I only own Sair the character and any other original names mentioned and if anyone steals the names or characters…I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN!!!…so be nice and don't steal kay?

Ch.26

Angel's head reeled from another smashing blow across his face. Mina was suddenly behind him, pushing him over and onto the ground. He fell hard, he was losing his strength quickly and would surely be at the end of a stake in a few seconds if he didn't act quickly.

The vampire pushed off of the ground, but a hard kick in the ribs from the vampiress sent him flying into an opposing wall. He hit it full force, feeling the marble slam against him, and soon slumped the ground. He was tired, he had no energy left at all. Meanwhile, Mina was upon him in seconds before he could react.

She grabbed him by the neck, lifted him above her, and squeezed his throat, choking the older vampire, but soon her grip changed. Angel felt her hands readjusting at an awkward angle, then he felt her muscles tense. She was going to snap his neck!

"Someone!" he yelled out desperately, "Help!"

Fred was the first to act. She looked in the direction of the yell and saw what a predicament that Angel was in. Not wasting any time, she opened up her knapsack and retrieved the handgun they had brought with them. Taking careful aim, and praying that she wouldn't miss, her finger pulled the trigger. Her arms exploded in pain as the recoil from the shot fired hit her, but she still held fast and looked over to where the bullet should have landed.

Angel was in so much pain that he thought he heard a gunshot of all things. But then he knew it couldn't have been a hallucination when Mina's grip slackened on his turned neck. He fell to the ground and watched her mechanically finger the exit wound of a bullet in the left side of her chest. Angel felt a pain of his own in his stomach and looked down, realizing that the bullet that went through Mina, had stopped in him.

Mina's eyes clouded over for a moment and she took a staggering step back. The pain was obviously getting to her. Letting out an almighty and high pitched cry of fury and defeat, her body turned to ash right before Angel's eyes. He sat for a moment, and then looked over to Fred, who held a silver handgun in her palm triumphantly.

The older vampire had to smile back.

Meanwhile, Wesley was reading the last lines of the binding spell.

"Los Turina Harem Ciento!" he yelled and pointed in the direction of Dorian, hoping to god that he had done it right.

Dorian raised his sword high, ready to pierce the vampire that was on the ground before him in the heart.

"Now time for you to die, my thorn in my side!" he yelled as he tensed, ready to bring the sword down to deliver the final blow.

He stopped.

It wasn't of his own will or anything, Dorian just simply stopped. He couldn't move a single muscle at all. He was stuck in the standing position he was in and paralyzed. His eyes shifted in the direction of Wesley, Gunn, and Fred.

"Ah, a binding spell," he said knowingly, "These can be pretty tough to break."

"You can't break it," Wesley said icily, "It's permanent."

The immortal chuckled, "You think so?"

Then, to the horror of Angel, Gunn, Wesley, and Fred, Dorian tensed his muscles, and with a yell of defiance, he arched his back, arms outspread. He had broken through the spell.

"But how?" Gunn said aloud, shock showing through his voice.

Dorian turned in their direction, sarcastically stretching out his limbs.

"Did you really think it'd be that easy?" he said as he walked over to them casually, "I've met a great deal of people like you in my life and believe me, they tried all the tricks your trying now. I've become a master at breaking every spell, weapon, or form of imprisonment thrown my way."

Wes, Fred and Gunn backed away from the approaching immortal, Angel was too weak to defend them or even himself.

"Just accept it. You can't kill me, so I'll kill you," Dorian said with a smirk, "If you come quietly, your death shall be quick and painless."

The three still backed away, but Fred, deciding that she wouldn't be afraid of him, pointed her gun in his direction.

The immortal rewarded her with a chuckle for her efforts to seem unafraid and spread his arms wide, "Take your shot."

The young scientist was ready to act. Squeezing the trigger multiple times, she littered Dorian's upper body with bullets, tearing into cloth and skin. Blood went splashing everywhere as each shot ripped into the immortal's body, quaking with every one. Finally, the magazine in the gun was empty. Each extra trigger pull was only rewarded with an empty clicking sound.

Fred's fury was immediately drowned by fear as she saw that Dorian was still standing.

"Now," the immortal said as the skin that was broken closed and the bullet shells came out with a small popping motion, "Feel better?"

Wesley grabbed Fred by her shoulders and pulled her back gently, but quickly. Gunn brought his axe at ready, tensing for a fight.

"I'm sick of this little game," Dorian said as he unsheathed his sword once again, "Time to end this."

The three humans in the room backed up quickly in fear, they knew they couldn't fight him, they would surely die if they did. But the immortal only got a few fierce steps forward before a yell sounded.

"Agh!!!"

Sair pummeled into Dorian's left side with power, knocking them both to the ground, but as they both flew, Sair pulled the frilly shirt and suit material away from the immortal's neck, vamped out, and sunk her fangs in. Dorian yelled out in pain as the vampire's teeth sunk into his neck and they both fell to the cold marble.

(Author's Note: Heeheeheeheehee!!!!!! I bet you didn't think about that didja???? Sorry, I didn't mean to screw up with your reading experience, but I had to gloat!! Okay now I'm gonna say my catch phrase…..NOW GO READ THE REST DAMMIT!!!)

Ch.27

Both immortal and vampire fell to the cold marble hard. Sair's held fast to Dorian, drinking all of his blood as fast as she could before he got a chance to throw her off. The immortal rolled over and pinned her against the floor with his back, this attempt didn't succeed in getting Sair to let go. Dorian elbowed her in the abdomen three times, feeling his strength fading fast, as a last ditch effort to get the young vampire to stop her deadly bite, but couldn't get her off.

Finally he rose to his knees weakly, trying to flip her overhead, but he couldn't. He was so weak, there was no strength in him left, or blood. Sair finally pulled her teeth out of the immortal's neck, gasping in the ecstasy the pure blood gave her. Dorian slumped forward and fell onto his back, staring unbelievingly at the young vampire's face.

Sair was on knees before him, the blood starting to course through her veins, and crimson all over her now normal chin and mouth. She looked at the immortal with pure malice and fury in her eyes, but to her sudden surprise, Dorian began to laugh.

"You find something funny in your death?" the young vampire asked him quietly.

"Yes," the immortal rasped as his body shuddered with laughter, "Because my death, will be your pain."

"What?"

"May the pain be horrible and unending for you! I hope it is," Dorian laughed as he slid a silver band off of his middle finger of his left hand, and grabbed Sair's suddenly. The vampire did not struggle against him, only watched in horror as the immortal slipped the ring onto her own middle left finger.

"Become what you hate," Dorian rasped finally with a grin of defiance and obvious humor before his body began to convulse and then shudder in death.

The life was out of his eyes and a silver aura seemed to seep out of them. The two small beams of light floated out of the dead body of Dorian and suddenly flew into Sair's with blinding force. Her whole body wracked with the sudden motion and her eyes seemed to be nothing more than a pool of shining silver as her body went into thumping convulsions, hitting against the ground and seemingly shaking of its' own accord.

The young vampire fell to the floor, shaking. Her jacket slumped back to her mid-arm and her chest thrust up as if some pounding force was inside, trying to rip out. She yelled in pain four times with each horrible spasm, and then fell back, unmoving. The whole time, Angel, Fred, Wesley, and Gunn watched this event in horror. An eerie silence fell throughout the cathedral.

Angel was the first to react. He got up from his slumped position on the wall, holding his stomach where the bullet wound was, and limped over to Sair in pain. It took him a little bit to get over to her, but when he did, he sluggishly went down to his knees before her.

"Sair?" he said aloud, trying to see if she was alive, "Sair?"

Angel bowed his head down in dismay, she was dead. He didn't know how, but she was no longer full of life she once was. The older vampire began to weep, small tears running down his cheeks, because of his failure, she had to die. She didn't deserve to die, she just didn't deserve it.

All of a sudden, a gasp forced its' way out of the young vampire's lungs and she grabbed onto Angel's arm painfully. She seemed bewildered, startled, and afraid. Her eyes darted around, scared, and landed on the once crying vampire above her.

"Angel?" she asked aloud, as if she didn't believe it was him.

The older vampire nodded with a smile on his face, "Yes, it's me."

"Oh God…" she trailed as she clenched in pain and screwed her eyes shut, "So much pain, I feel so much pain…."

Angel leaned forward and held her in his arms, feeling that he should shield her from everything else.

"Make the pain stop…please….just make the pain stop…" Sair trailed, tears falling from her eyes, "Please….."

Gunn came up behind the two, Wesley was comforting the now terrified and crying Fred, and stopped behind the older vampire, still holding onto Sair.

"Angel," the lawyer said with concern, "We need to get out of here."

The vampire nodded, "Just wait a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay," Gunn said as he went off in the direction of the now unconscious Spike and hoisted him to his shoulders.

"Just a few minutes…" Angel repeated, but he somehow felt that there would never be enough time in the world to quell the pain that Sair felt now….

(Author's note: Okay, I was watching LXG during this and kinda got sidetracked, so if there are any errors…well….I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!!! Anyways, To my reviewers as always and the readers who don't review (grumbles) Anyways! Also, Dorian's death had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the "Angel" finale with Angel and Timothy or whoever the liaison to the Senior Partners was. I swear, I had my idea first. I watched with my mouth hanging open when that happened. I have a sneaky suspicion that the WB dancing frog came into my room while I was mumbling about the ending to my story and stole it!!!! Anyways, for those who absolutely want to know, there WILL be more chapters coming AND I am possibly thinking of a juicy sequel. DEFINITELY REVIEW, I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE AFOREMENTIONED AND THE STORY!!!! Thank you!!!)


	17. Peace

Perfect Imbalance

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, or "Angel" characters sadly enough. I only own Sair the character and any other original names mentioned and if anyone steals the names or characters…I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN!!!…so be nice and don't steal kay?

(Author's note: Here is a basic wrap-up of the story, how'll you figure out what happened and stuff, but I warn ye! (ye, what an odd word) There's not too much violence, more of the emotional stuff, but read anyway!! Enjoi!)

Ch.28

Spike awoke to pain. Immediately after becoming conscious again, he tried to sit up, bad move. White hot sparks of agony seared through his body even after he laid back down quickly. He grit his teeth together in pain, but wouldn't yell, he was too proud for that.

'Where am I?' he thought, 'What happened? Where's Sair?'

He opened his eyes, only to shut them in pain from the bright lights that shined overhead. Feeling the pang of an oncoming headache, Spike slowly opened his eyes, slowly getting used to the light. When his vision had cleared, he realized where he was. He was in Fred's lab, on the cot that he had been on once before, but now an ivy of blood was hooked into the vein at his inner elbow. The blond vampire saw a fresh blood pack hanging from the metal hook and stand.

"Hey, you're awake," a voice sounded from Spike's left.

The blond vampire turned his head to see Fred standing with tears in her eyes.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she answered, "You gave us quite a scare back there."

"Hmph, I guess I do that a lot," Spike replied, "What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"Not much after I blacked out," the vampire replied, "I saw Dorian's sword aiming for me and then that was it."

A frown crossed the young scientists' face.

"What?" Spike asked, concerned.

Fred sighed as she pulled up a chair next to his cot and then slowly, painfully, she told him the whole story of what happened. Every detail following up to the end.

Spike's eyes clouded in grief, and pain.

He looked to Fred, "Where is she now?"

"In her room," the young scientist replied, "She's been up there ever since."

"Where's my coat?"

"Spike, you can't go up there, you're too weak-"

"Fred, where is my coat?" the blond vampire said more slowly and sternly, staring into the eyes of the scientist.

"Here," Fred acquiesced as she got up, went to a nearby drawer, and retrieved the blond vampire's infamous leather duster from it.

She walked back and handed to him in the perfect little pile it was folded into, "You're right, she needs you now."

Painfully, Spike took out the needle in his arm and got to a sitting position on the cot, swinging his legs over the side, he stood up fully and took his jacket gently from her.

"Thank you," the blond vampire told her as he unfolded the item and put it on. Oddly enough, it gave him some kind of comfort for what was to come.

He walked to the stairs, looking back only once before he quickly climbed the steps, his pain slowly fading away since he was moving now and getting used to it. He soon reached the main floor and went to the elevator. Facing the now closing doors, Spike felt for the first time in his life true fear, fear of what would happen now, and he hadn't the slightest inkling on how to quell it.

As the doors finally opened to the floor he needed, Spike slowly walked out, mentally preparing himself for what was to come, even though he had no idea on what it was at all. He made his way down the hall and finally came to a stop at the door that led to Sair's temporary room.

Making a mental sigh, (for he had a lacked the ability to make a real one) he knocked on the door twice lightly. When no response came, he thought the worse and opened it immediately with a swift turn of the knob and pushed the door open. What he saw, he would never forget.

Sair was sitting on the floor in a pretty open corner. Her elbows resting on her knees as she reclined back on the soft carpet. She held a small dagger in her right hand, and was repeatedly, slowly, slicing her left palm open, and watching it heal with a morbid yet indifferent fascination.

"Sair…" the blond vampire spoke as he slowly approached her, "What are you doing to yourself?"

The younger of the two chuckled nonchalantly, "Nothing….absolutely nothing…"

Spike soon crossed the distance between them and kneeled down next to her, discarding her knife and holding her hands in his.

"Everything's lost Spike," the young vampire spoke as she looked him in the eyes, pure melancholy filling them.

The blond vampire regrettably looked into his sister's eyes, the color in them was now silver, not the wonderful shade of brown he used to see in them before.

"I can't live, I can't die," Sair spoke, her voice cracking, "I-I can't even bleed…"

Spike couldn't do anything from the pure pain that ripped in his heart. He was, for once, not able to do anything, not even help a little bit. Helpless to do anything at all, and it ripped at him. Sair had started to cry, shedding tears of pain that would not quell it. The blond vampire pulled her close and embraced her, the only thing he could do and rocked the weeping girl back and forth in his arms.

"I'm sorry.." was all he could see, but he didn't receive any reply from her, she was still crying, "I'm so sorry…."

After a moment or two, Sair gently pushed out of Spike's embrace, looking at the blond vampire with tear filled eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"I…I just need to be alone now," the young vampire replied, "Please.."

After a few moments of inner struggle, Spike nodded and went to the door, but stopped as he opened it.

Without turning, he said, "I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to save you Sair….I'm sorry…"

And with that, he left the young vampire by herself in the room.

"You were always strong enough," Sair murmured, "But no one could've saved me."

She looked down to her left middle finger and saw the silver band that Dorian had put on her, she hadn't taken it off. She didn't know what it meant, why he gave it to her as his dying gift? No, as a reminder of what he was and what he had done to her. A painful memory never to leave her the same.

Spike stared blankly at the opposing wall of his office. Even though it was spacious, he couldn't have felt more secluded and lonely, like he were in a small box of sorts. He was so absorbed in his own misery that he barely even noticed Angel walking in and standing broadly in front of the huge windows, hands clasped behind his back.

Before he had a chance to say anything, Spike cut him off.

"I know what you're gonna say, and I say don't bother. I don't wanna hear your half-assed attempts at giving me your condolences."

"Well, I have to say something, or else it would weigh on me with guilt," Angel replied solemnly.

"Very well, the stage is yours, take your shot."

"I just wanted to say that I know what kind of pain you're going through. I've almost been through the same thing."

"Pardon me, Angel," Spike interrupted as he stood up angrily from his chair, "But I don't think your sister went through hell and back to kill the one person she hated, and rescue the one she loved, ending in failure and becoming something she despises."

"No," the older vampire acquiesced, "But I've felt like I've lost something before, like you."

"Oh really?"

"Yes," Angel said, "I lost a son."

"What?"

"As many things that go on in this world, it's not too surprising that I would be able to even have a son. But soon it came to hell. It wasn't meant for a vampire to have a child, so his own insanity ripped him away from me. He couldn't cope with the fact that the world was so cold, humans being so harsh to other humans and the like. He couldn't stand it. And now he's gone from me…forever."

As farfetched as the whole story sounded, it struck a chord within Spike. It wasn't surprising that a champion could have a child, but lose one as well? Maybe he had felt the same pain, maybe even more.

"What was his name?" Spike asked.

"Conner," Angel said with a smile of reminiscence, "I loved him with all my heart, and it tore at me to see him go, but it was for his own good. But the pain still stays Spike, it never fades. So in a sense, I do know what you're going through, and I couldn't be more sorry that someone else has to feel the pain I once did."

Spike lowered his head in despair.

"She can't stay here Spike."

"Why not?" he asked simply, fearing that he already knew the answer.

"You know why," Angel replied, "It's still too much for her to take. Sair needs time to recover, so to speak."

"Where could she go?" the blond vampire thought, "There's no place for her except by my side."

"Maybe that's a decision she'll need to come too," the older vampire turned to him, "I don't care where she goes, she can stay here for all I care, but I just want her to have peace, and I have a feeling you do too."

And with that, Angel left. Leaving Spike with a heavy thought to consider.

(Author's note: Dontcha just love these little intermission thingys' I keep putting in??? Ah, you know you do!! (Gets pelted by random items of food) Agh! ALRIGHT!!! ON WITH THE STORY!!! Wait! Forgot my catchphrase!!! NOW GO READ THE REST DAMMIT!!!)

Ch.29

Spike paced his office for what seemed an eternity in itself, trying to think, not one of his strong points. He couldn't decide which was the better choice. To keep Sair here, where a lot of bad things happen, or let her out somewhere else, where God knows what could happen. Finally, well after sunset, he came to his decision.

He was going to set off to her room, but she was suddenly at the door to his office. Surprised, but no willing to show it, Spike just settled to smile at her unannounced arrival.

"Hey," he said, "I was just about to go see you."

"Well, I suppose I saved you the trip," Sair replied a little bit indifferently as she stood almost stock still in the doorway.

"Sair, I need to tell you something," Spike finally admitted after a few moments of silence.

"What?" the young vampire said as she went over and sat on the couch that lied in her brother's office.

Sweeping his trench coat, Spike went to sit next to her a little bit uncomfortably as he readied himself to say what he wanted to say.

"I think.." he started slowly, "That it would be best if you leave here."

"What?" Sair asked, for the first time since the final fight, getting a bit of her old emotion back.

"I think it's better for you to leave here," Spike repeated.

"And do what?"

"I don't know," the blond vampire said as he got up and faced her, "Go exploring, find some peace or whatever."

Sair just gave him a slightly confused look.

"Look," Spike said as he crouched in front of her, "All I want is the best for you. I want you to just leave this place, too many bad things happen here."

"Hate to break it to you, but bad things happen everywhere," Sair replied, "Nothing is safe."

"Maybe not," the older of the two replied, "But sometimes less bad things happen away from here. Go somewhere. Back to see Arien and Ni, or maybe to someplace new, I don't care, as long as you're happy."

"But," the younger vampire started with tears in her eyes beginning to form, "I'm happy here with you."

"I'm sorry, but it just can't be that way for a little while," Spike regarded her, "Just think of it as a holiday…..of sorts, I guess. Go, do what makes you happy, and then a day will come when I will come for you, it just can't be right now."

"You promise?" Sair said, tears flowing full force.

"I promise with all my heart," the blond vampire told her as he clasped her hands and placed a small kiss on her forehead.

After a few moments' silence, Sair nodded slowly, and then hugged her brother tightly. She was afraid of losing him again, but that little promise was enough to give her the courage to face her fear and spat in its' face.

She smiled.

Three weeks later, a loudspeaker overhead sounded, "Attention, all passengers boarding flight 363, your plane is now boarding. Attention, all passengers boarding flight 363, your plane is now boarding. Thank you."

The airport was near empty save for the late starters who would want to take a six hour flight at ten at night and landing at four in the morning in England.

Sair looked up to the unknown speaker, "That's me."

Spike walked with her, "Alright, let's get going then."

After walking to the ticket counter and getting checked in, the blond vampire regarded the younger one.

"Now, you'll call me when you get there?" he drilled.

"As soon as the wheels touch the ground," Sair replied as if she knew the answers by heart.

"And Arien and Ni will pick you up at the terminal?"

"Promptly to take me to the villa."

"Good," Spike started, almost out of questions, "And your flight lands?"

"At four twenty-two A.M, okay?"

"Yeah."

"M'am," the ticket lady broke in, "You'll have to board soon."

"Yeah, one minute," Sair regarded her as she turned back to Spike, "Promise you'll write?"

"Promise," he agreed, "And you?"

"Always."

Spike nodded, "Alright then, have fun over there. And remember, I will come for you when the time comes."

Sair just smiled, "I'll hold you to that."

Spike gave her a small hug and parted, "You can."

The young vampire felt a few tears coming on, so she turned quickly and walked down the boarding plank and onto the plane. All the while, Spike watched her go, with a smile on his face.

'It's gonna be all right this time,' he thought.

And for awhile, it was.

(Oooooookaayyyyyy, Kind of a suck ass ending I know (Gets pelted by a full wine bottles) Hey! Don't waste the wine!!! (Pelting stops) But please understand, since so MANY of you (ahem, 4) wanted to get a sequel…well guess what? I HAD TO CHANGE MY BLOODY ENDING!!! But not that I'm complaining, I'm glad you guys wanted a sequel! Does me heart joy! (And yeah, I said me heart, so what??) Anyways, this was more of a wrap up chapter, but I do hope that you liked it, really! But now I'm off to go and start on the second one. I'll update Perfect Imbalance with a new chapter that has a name and summary as soon as I can, so be on the lookout! THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SUPPORTED ME THROUGH THE WAY!!! AND FINI!! -Chasten-chan)


	18. Sequel Teaser

(Author's note: Okay, I promised you a sequel summary and stuff so this is what you get! I deliver on my promises!! Alright, here it is: )

Nearly a year after the demise of Dorian Gray and the rebirth of Sair as an immortal has passed. All without incident, but very soon, another Apocalypse is upon the Earth, and this time, it's gonna take a hell of a lot more than a couple of champions to stop it.

There'll be betrayal, new faces and old ones, fights of people's lives, and people's lives taken. More mystery lies beneath that of the immortal named Dorian Gray than everyone thought, and now it is to be unraveled before everyone's eyes.

Introducing, the sequel to Perfect Imbalance! Perfect Imbalance 2: The Mystery of the Immortal

(Author's note: So whatcha think?? I know, I made the summary kind of sound like a movie sequel and yes, I did re-use the name, but I just love it!!! Now, I know what you are all thinking and I'd just like to say NO! I'm not bringing the wonderful immortal Dorian Gray back sniff but I'll have to introduce a few new characters in that I'm sure you'll love! Till I get the first chapter up, tell me what you guys think! You want it up, or want it trashed?? Please review quickly so I don't waste time typing if no one wants it…)


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